Abdullah Hussain (), (14 August 1931 – 4 July 2015) was an

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

and short story writer from

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

. Among the prolific names of the

Urdu literature Urdu literature (, ) comprises the literary works, written in the Urdu language. While it tends to be dominated by poetry, especially the verse forms of the ''ghazal'' () and '' nazm'' (), it has expanded into other styles of writing, includin ...

, Hussain is widely recognised for his novel '' Udaas Naslain'', for which he won the Adamjee Literary Award in 1963.

Personal life

His ancestors migrated from Bannu to Punjab. His father worked as excise inspector and went to be farmer later on. Abdullah was his only and youngest son of three other children. His mother died when Abdullah was only six months old. His father was super protective about him. He preferred Abdullah to be with him in his free times. Reflection of this bond is often seen in his writings as well.

Literary career

Abdullah Hussain shot into fame with his novel '' Udaas Naslain''اُداس نسلیں. He was awarded the Adamjee Literary Award for this debut novel. ''Udaas Naslain'' اُداس نسلیں is considered as a milestone in

. It is a story of a common man who entered into elite class by marriage but is not able to cope with it and eventually returns. He also wrote ''Baagh'' باگھ in 1982, which focuses on Kashmir liberation. Baagh (A Lion) is a symbol of terror to everyone. His 1989 novel 'Qaid' (prison) is a story of a newborn who was murdered in Karachi. 'Raat' published in 1994 was also his novel of same genre. Later he wrote ''Nadar Log '' نادارلوگ in 1996 which is based on 1971 war between India and Pakistan. Novel focuses on Sarfraz's story who was appointed in east Pakistan and went on to be a prisoner of war and reveals the causes behind the Dhaka fall. He has also written collections of short stories ''Nashaib'' نشیب and 'faraib' فریب, and a novel in English about Afghan jihad. Among his works, the novelette "Raat " has been translated into Persian by Samira Gilani.

Death

He had been suffering from blood cancer for several years. He was taken to the National Defence Hospital after his condition deteriorated. Later, he was brought back to his home where he died on 4 July 2015.

Literary works

* Udaas Naslain (Novel) * Nadaar Log (Novel) * Baagh (Novel) * Qyd (Novella) * Raat (Novella) * Wapasi Ka Safar (Novel) * Nashaib (Collection of Short stories) * Faraib (collection of short stories)

References

* * * http://tribune.com.pk/story/916565/abdullah-hussain-alive-in-his-vision/ * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hussain, Abdullah 1931 births 2015 deaths Urdu-language short story writers Pakistani male short story writers 20th-century Pakistani novelists Pashtun people Urdu-language novelists Pakistani male novelists Writers from Lahore 20th-century Pakistani short story writers 20th-century Pakistani male writers Recipients of the Adamjee Literary Award 20th-century Pakistani translators