Modern Poetry of Pakistan, the first anthology of its kind to appear in English, brings together many poetic traditions indigenous to Pakistan, with more than 140 poems translated from seven major languages, six of them regional (Baluchi, Kashmiri, Panjabi, Pashto, Seraiki, and Sindhi) and one national (Urdu).
A collection of work of 44 poets and 15 translators, this book reveals a society driven by differences but also a beautiful and truly national literature, with work, both classical and modern, belonging to the same culture and sharing many of the same concerns and perceptions.Edited by the eminent duo of Iftikhar Arif and Waqas Khwaja,, Modern Poetry of Pakistan is considered a revelation. Those looking for an introduction to the richness of the region’s poetry won’t be disappointed.
“We are a multilingual country, one in which a host of cultures intermingled with folk traditions that have persisted for millennia, informs the national psyche and colours creative expression in all its various forms,” Iftikhar Arif noted in his preface.In his introduction, Waqas Khwaja discussed at length different challenges, strategies and options that a translator must address. He described his own approach to the texts, which had been selected already by Iftikhar Arif, and his determination to ensure that he remained true to the original.
Waqas Khwaja is a Professor of English at Agnes Scott College where he teaches courses in Victorian and Romantic poetry, Narratives of Empire, Gothic literature, Postcolonial Studies, and Creative Writing.He has published scholarly articles on writers from a variety of linguistic and cultural traditions and on literary, cultural, and political issues.
Iftikhar Arif is a poet of Urdu and three of his collections, Mehr-i-Doneem, Harf-i-Baryab and Jahan-e-Maloom have been published in many editions. His poetry has been translated into a number of languages, including English, Russian, German, Persian, Hindi and Bhasha.
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