Faiz Ahmed Faiz (1911-1984), N.M. Rashid (1910-1975), and Miraji (1912-1949) are three of the most prominent poets of Urdu modernism. Despite writing at the same time and responding to the same literary and political landscapes, they took different approaches to tradition and its relationship to poetic invention, views on literature’s role in responding to political realities, and how they wanted readers to engage with their work. These literary translations track their respective styles as they wrote during a moment of great upheaval: the Partition of India. This anthology is accompanied by an introduction which situates these poets in their specific literary and linguistic context, examines how their work is still relevant today, and tracks how the translator’s decisions are informed by their poetics.
Z. Siddiqui, J. Steyn, Aron Aji et al.· 0 citations
This study examines the post-Rekhta transformation of Urdu literary culture, in which the production and consumption of narrative increasingly shift from print-based institutions to digital platforms such as Wattpad and TikTok. It situates Urdu fan fiction within the frameworks of public aesthetics, participatory culture, and digital emotional economies. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines content analysis of 300 Wattpad novels, each exceeding 100 episodes, and 500 TikTok videos with over one million views, ethnographic interviews with 50 writers and 200 readers, and an economic analysis of platform systems including coins, gifts, and engagement metrics. The findings suggest that contemporary Urdu fan fiction functions less as conventional literary creativity and more as formula-driven narrative production shaped by audience interaction. Readers act as co-authors through comments and feedback that influence plot development. The study concludes that Urdu digital fan fiction reflects a participatory literary democracy grounded in emotional capitalism, challenging traditional literary institutions and redefining authorship, readership, and textual authority in the digital age.
Z. Siddiqui· International journal of res...· 0 citations