Wazir Agha (; born 18 May 19228 September 2010) was a Pakistani Urdu language writer, poet, critic and essayist. He has written many poetry and prose books. He was also the editor and publisher of the literary magazine "Auraq" for many decades. He introduced many theories in

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 ...

. His most famous work is on Urdu humor. His books focus on modern Urdu poets, notably those who have written more poems instead of ghazals. Agha's poems mostly have an element of the story. Agha has received the

Sitara-e-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

( lit. 'Star of Excellence') medal for his contributions to Urdu literature. He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize.

Personal life

Background

Agha was born on 18 May 1922 in the village Wazir Kot in the

Sargodha Sargodha (Punjabi language, Punjabi/; ; ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Central Punjab, central Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 11th most populous city and ...

district. His father was a businessman who dealt in horses from the Persian-speaking

Qizilbash Qizilbash or Kizilbash (Latin script: ) ; ; (modern Iranian reading: ); were a diverse array of mainly Turkoman "The Qizilbash, composed mainly of Turkman tribesmen, were the military force introduced by the conquering Safavis to the Irani ...

family. Wazir's father obtained of land from the British government in the Sargodha district. Agha learned Persian from his father, Punjabi from his mother. During his school years, he developed a strong fondness for Urdu ghazals and started composing poetry on his own. He graduated from Government College,

Jhang Jhang ( Punjabi / ; ; ) is the capital city of Jhang District in central Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, it is the 13th most populous city of Pakistan. Etymology The historical name of the city and dis ...

and later received his master's degree in economics from Government College, Lahore. He gained his PhD from the

University of Punjab The University of the Punjab (UoP) is a public research university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1882, its international influence has made it one of the most prestigious universities in South Asia; being the oldest and largest publ ...

in 1956 for his research on ''humor and satire in Urdu Literature''. Wazir Agha died on 8 September 2010 in Lahore. He was buried in his native village, Wazirkot, near

Punjab, Pakistan Punjab (, ) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. With a population of over 127 million, it is the Demographics of Pakistan, most populous province in Pakistan and the List of first-level administrative divisions by popu ...

Literary career

Agha was the editor of the college magazine ''Chanab'' in Government College, Jhang. In 1944, he came across ''Salahuddin Ahmad'' who was the editor of the famous monthly magazine, Adabi Duniya. He encouraged Wazir Agha to write. He was asked to contribute by writing essays on topics uncommon in Urdu Literature of that time, such as economics, philosophy, psychology. In 1953, his work on "In search of happiness" was compiled as a book that opened a formal paradigm of research in Urdu literature. From 1960 to 1963, he acted as a co-editor of ''Adabi Duniya'' and from 1965 onwards, he remained editor of monthly ''Auraq'' for many decades. He established himself as a critic. The Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) has published a book on Agha's life and work as part of its publishing project, "Makers of Pakistani Literature". He was also Life Fellow of PAL since 1995. He also wrote an autobiography ''Shaam Ki Mundair Sey''.

Awards

(Star of Excellence) Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

Wazir Agha's award info on The News International website
Published 9 September 2010, Retrieved 23 May 2017

Bibliography

Books *''Adab Mein Tanz-o-Mazah'' (1958) *''Takhleequi Amal'' (1970) *''Urdu Shairi Ka Mizaaj'' (1965) *''Tasawuraat-e- Ishq-o- Khird – Iqbal Ki Nazar Mein'' (1977) *''Majeed Amjad Ki Dastaan-e-Muhabbat'' (1991) *''Ghalib Ka Zauq-e-Tamasha'' (1997) *Wazir Agha Kay Debachay (1990) Essays *''Khayal Paray'' (''Inshaiye'' or light essays) *''Nazam-e-Jadeed Ki Karwatein'' (1963) *''Tanqeed Aur Ehtesaab'' (1968) *''Naye Maqaalaat'' (1972) *''Naye Tanaazur'' (1979) *''Maani Aur Tanaazur'' (1998) *''Tanqeed Aur Majlisi Tanqeed'' (1975) *Chai ki Piali main Toofan (1985) *''Tanqeed Aur Jadeed Urdu Tanqeed'' (1989) *''Daairey Aur Lakirein'' (1986) *''Inshaiye Kei Khad-o-Khaal'' (1990) *''Saakhtiat Aur Science'' (1991) *''Dastak Us Darwaazey Par'' (1994) *''Imtizaji Tanqeed Ka Scienci Aur Fikri Tanaazur'' (2006)

Poetry

*''Ghaas Mein Titlian'' *''Aadhi Sadi ke Baad'' (After 50 years)Wazir Agha's poem
Retrieved 23 May 2017

References

External links

Official Website

Dr Wazir Agha remembered
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agha, Wazir 1922 births 2010 deaths Pakistani scholars Pakistani writers Pakistani literary critics Linguists from Pakistan People from Sargodha District Government College University, Lahore alumni Urdu-language non-fiction writers Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Linguists of Urdu Sonneteers Urdu-language writers from Pakistan