Trends of Pakistani English Fiction from Partition to 1970s

Munnzza Riaz

ABSTRACT: Trend of Pakistani English Fiction Since Partition to 1970; is a multidimensional effort to not only to highlight the prevalent themes and trends of the fiction , but also to bring into limelight those legends of Pakistani English Fiction, who can be considered the founders of English fiction in Pakistan. The phenomenon includes a lot of names, which are now completely forgotten or are taken for granted by the modern generation of Pakistani English Fiction readers. These themes and trends of the fiction of the time also witness the sociopolitical and cultural conditions of the times in Pakistan. However the primary focus of this piece of writing is on the trends and themes of Pakistani English Fiction from partition to 1970s, as it was the time when Pakistani English fiction started developing itself as an independent genre. 

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INTRODUCTION 

Pakistani English Literature is the name of a fully developed and independent literature. It was started emerging most probably after 1940; right when the freedom movement reached at its peak. We can find the traces of rebellion and quest for identity as a separate nation in the pieces of writings, which were written during the era by the hands of the prominent literary figures of the time, including Ahmad Ali, Mumtaz Shahnawaz and Shahid Soharwardi. Investigation of the themes of that time and categorization of those themes are not that simple, as fiction of the time is filled with a beautifully complex combination of mature and immature expressions. The purpose behind the selection of the topic to work on is to study the initial stages and the early themes of Pakistani English writings. Another important reason for working on the English fiction of 1947 to 1970s is that: no one has ever attempted to highlight the names of those legends of 1950s and 60s; whose hands nourished the Infant Pakistani English fiction immediately after independence. It was the time when everywhere in the new born state there was chaos and a general tendency of hatred towards the language of British Colonizers. To probe deep into the phenomenon of Pakistani English Fiction; it is necessary to have a slight glance on its background. Basically our pre-partition and early post-partition fiction both in English and Urdu is plumped with the tragic tale highlighting untold and unbearable miseries Inflicted by the ruthlessness of the rulers of British Raj on the people of subcontinent. The fiction, thus made its appearance during the freedom movement, highlights the saga of partition. There are themes of extreme nationalism based on religious sentiments & social set-up, quest for freedom and protection of cultural & traditional heritage narrated with rigorous reasoning. However, the postpartition literature deals with the socio-political, ideological and ethnic problems of Pakistani society. The prominent writers of pre partition (from 1940) and post partition (1950s) had sketched and painted a dark picture of deserted values, unceasing warfare and themes of extreme nationalism. The first and most prominent Muslim writer, who recorded the treacherous acts of British Raj in subcontinent with a particular sense of despair and dejection, was Ahmad Ali. He in 1940, wrote the gem of Postcolonial fiction „Twilight in Delhi‟, which was set in 1911, in a Muslim Neighborhood at Delhi. The entire work grossly provided a portrayal; where despair over the downfall of the Mughals and the rise of the British government had represented with a heart throbbing description of events. Other prominent Muslim contemporaries of Ahmed Ali were Feroze Khan Noon, Mumtaz Shahnawaz and Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, who also painted the pathetic picture of Pre-partitioned Subcontinent. Feroz Khan earned a great fame for his autobiography, „From Memory‟ (1966) and from the only novel „Scented Dust‟(1941); highlighting the sociological aspects of life in sub-continent i.e. the laws of social and religious life in both Muslim and Hindu Community. Khawja Ahmad Abbas, who was a socialist and

Mumtaz Shahnawaz, 

(1912-1948) who was a political activist, published her famous political novel „The Heart Divided‟ which she wrote in between 1943 and 1948. It sketched the creation of Pakistan in Indian Muslims‟ point of view. She died in 1948; leaving behind the first draft, which her family later published unedited after 11 years. The novel was basically designed with the theme of renunciation of the idea of Hindu-Muslim Unity and the acceptance of the idea of creating a separate state for the Muslims called Pakistan. This theme was expressed through the plot which consisted of the issue of changing relationship of a Hindu and a Muslim Families. It was also a realistic and honest treatment of the politics of India. The lack of distortion of the truth redeemed this novel from the charge of being boring at places. An extreme sense of self-consciousness is the major theme of all the early fictional English works of Pakistan. Pakistani literature soon after independence was affected by the two major ideologies; on one hand there was Russian Totalitarian socialism and on the other hand there was Islamic fundamentalism. In 1950 the fiction and prose both were strongly in the hold of the dominant religious movement Jamat-e-Islami by Molana Modudi. Mostly the literature aimed to serve the people on religious and didactic grounds. „PEN‟ by Ahmad Ali was a great portal for Pakistani English Literature to grow. Ahmad Ali and Shahid Soharwardy contributed in the growth of a standardized English fiction with their efforts on „PEN‟. It had played a role as „Scrutiny‟ of F.R. Levies played in standardizing the fiction and poetry during Victorian era. With all the pressure of religious fundamentalism, it continued its efforts diligently. While quoting Mr. Shahid Soharwardi‟s proclamation in an unambiguous language, Dr.Tariq Rehman wrote as:“Literature today in my review has thus struck a retrogressive and unlikely path. It has reverted to didacticism…”(Rehman,1991) Comparatively speaking, those who were writing in English on that time remained liberal and unorthodox in their approach. One of the dominant names of the time included the name of Ahmad Ali, worked on his short stories during the time. He tried his best to detach himself from the other orthodox trends of literary writings. Another important name, which is now almost forgotten is the name of Elsa Kazi. Elsa Kazi, was the German wife of I.I Kazi. I.I. Kazi was a sindhi intellectual and remained the Vice Chancellor of Sindh University. Elsa Kazi‟s novel: „Old English Garden Symphony‟ was published in 1952. This was an extensive novel, narrating the story of a musician Eric. The entire work of fiction was divided into two parts. It was written in Victorian style. It was full of emotions and romance, that‟s why it could not achieve fame among the conservative social trends of the time. The second prominent literary figure of the time was Mrs. Zaib-un-Nisa Hamidullah. The themes of her literary works were a combination of traditional and absurd existential in their approach. She was tended to focus her artistic skills more on writing short stories and poetry than fiction. The third prominent literary figure of the time was Mr. Zahir. H . Frooqi. Farooqi was a civil servant by profession. Due to the job requirements he had to visit different countries. He stayed several years at Italy and Rome during his service. His first novel was “Love in Ruins”. It was written in 1950s but was published in 1960s. This novel was written during his stay at Italy. It was a romantic novel. The plot of this novel consisted on a love story of a boy Fred and girl Stella. Fred was represented as a married man having wife and a child. But the love of Fred and Stella ended on Fred‟s death. After that Stella once found a boy, very much like Fred, he was actually cubby (Fred‟s son). He too started attracting towards Stella, but Stella did not want to ruin his life, that‟s why she disappeared at the end. Over all it contained a pessimistic ending. According to Dr. Tariq Rehman: “The novel‟s theme and settings are the results of the enigmatic impacts of Italy on Farooqi‟s mind, as Italy once considered a symbol of emotional liberty.”(Rehman, 1991) The novel seemed like one of the novels of D. H. Lawrence‟s; „The Lost Girl‟. Farooqi‟s influence of his eastern psyche made him to give a different end to his work. Farooqi‟s eastern Trends of Pakistani English Fiction from Partition to 1970s www.ijhssi.org 3 | P a g e tendencies did not let him break any family in the novel. 

Other prominent Muslim contemporaries of Ahmed Ali were Feroze Khan Noon, Mumtaz Shahnawaz and Khwaja Ahmed Abbas, who also painted the pathetic picture of Pre-partitioned Subcontinent. Feroz Khan earned a great fame for his autobiography, „From Memory‟ (1966) and from the only novel „Scented Dust‟(1941); highlighting the sociological aspects of life in sub-continent i.e. the laws of social and religious life in both Muslim and Hindu Community. Khawja Ahmad Abbas, who was a socialist and Trends of Pakistani English Fiction from Partition to 1970s www.ijhssi.org 2 | P a g e nationalist, wrote two novels, a novelette, a drama, and two collections of short stories, two travelogues and one account of journalism. His famous literary works are “Tomorrow is ours (novel), Blood and Stones (novelette), The Umbrella, Flowers for Her Feet, Twelve Hours, Saffron Blossom and Reflection in Mirror (Short Stories). The major themes in his works had pertained to socialist and secular nationalistic movements. Themes of courtesan and prostitution, Hindu-Muslim controversies and atrocities in sub-continent had remained the dominant themes of his works.