Manto: Selected Short Stories

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Saadat Hasan Mantos first collection of stories was published in the 1940s, but his stories have an enduring relevance. Now read by more people than ever before, the simple clarity of his stories about marginalized people, his astute understanding of the complexity of human nature and the poignancy of his stories on Partition transcend spatial and temporal boundaries many of his characters are legendary and his taut narratives are a great source of insight into the human condition. Widely regarded as one of the greatest short-story writers of the Subcontinent, Manto is now, a hundred years after his birth, also acknowledged as one of the most powerful voices of his time. An enigma in his lifetime, and plagued by financial troubles, alcoholism and legal persecution in the last years of his life, he draws a posthumous wave of near-universal admiration. Aatish Taseers sensitive translation captures the lyricism and power of Mantos voice. Manto: Selected Stories, with two new stories, is a collection to be savoured by new readers and old fans of Manto alike.

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Saadat Hasan Manto has been called the greatest short-story writer of the Indian subcontinent. He was born in 1912 in Punjab and went on to become a radio and film-script writer, journalist, and short-story writer. His stories were highly controversial and he was tried for obscenity six times during his career. After Partition, Manto moved to Lahore with his wife and three daughters. He died there in 1955. Aatish Taseer has worked as a reporter for Time and written for the Sunday Times, the Sunday Telegraph, the Financial Times, Prospect, TAR Magazine and Esquire. He is the author of Stranger to History: A Sons Journey through Islamic Lands (2009). His novel, The Temple-Goers (2010) was shortlisted for the 2010 Costa First Novel Award. His second novel, Noon, was recently published. His work has been translated into over ten languages. He lives in London and in Delhi.