LAHORE: The 69th death anniversary of prominent Urdu fiction writer Saadat Hasan Manto is being observed today (Thursday).
His fictions are considered an authentic reflection of the society. He died on this day at the age of 42 years and was laid to rest in Lahore.
Born on May 11, 1912, in Ludhiana, Saadat Hasan Manto, a prolific writer and playwright, experienced an unfortunately short life. Despite his early demise, he created a significant body of work, including over 20 collections of short stories, a novel, radio plays, and essays. Following the partition, Manto relocated to Lahore.
As a nonconformist writer deeply impacted by the socio-political realities and communal tensions of his time, Manto produced some of his most noteworthy works in the final seven years of his life, amidst considerable financial and emotional challenges. He passed away on January 18, 1955.
One of Manto’s notable works, “Thanda Gosht,” led him to face a trial in a criminal court for obscenity. The story delves into the grim reality of the communal violence of 1947, narrated through the characters Ishwar Singh, his mistress Kalwant, a murder, and a confession.
“Bitter Fruit” is a compilation of Manto’s short stories, plays, sketches, portraits of cinema artists, writings on himself, and his letters to Uncle Sam, touching upon communism, Russia, post-Partition politics, and his financial struggles.
Among his various publications are “Atishpare,” “Manto Ke Afsane,” “Dhuan,” “Afsane Aur Drame,” “Laazat-e-Sang,” “Thanda Gosht,” “Baghair Ijazat,” “Burque,” “Ratti,” “Masha,” and “Tolah.” Manto also penned several notable letters to Uncle Sam, later published in English.
