Zameen (novel)

''Zameen'' (), alternatively spelled ''Zamin'', is an Urdu novel by Pakistani novelist and short story writer Khadija Mastoor. The novel was published posthumously by Idara-e-Farogh-e-Urdu in 1983. Daisy Rockwell, PhD, translated it into English and released it in July 2019 under the title ''A Promised Land''. ''Zameen'' depicts the economic and political upheaval during the partition of British India. It begins at the final setting of Mastoor's first novel '' Aangan'' – the Walton refugee camp in Lahore. Consequently, it is sometimes considered an extension of ''Aangan'', however, Rockwell has clarified that it is not a narrative sequel, rather a philosophical and thematic follow-up. It is considered a political allegory and a women-centric historical account of Pakistan's independence.

Characters

''Zameen'' main characters are:
* Sajida () – the intelligent protagonist. After migrating to Pakistan, she lives with her father at a refugee camp.
* Nazim () – a Department of Rehabilitation official at the camp who insists Sajida to live at his home with him and his family
* Saleema () – a passionate student, Nazim's female cousin
* Kazim () – Nazim's amoral and feudalistic brother

Reception

Critic and fiction writer Muhammad Ahsan Farooqi found the novel rich in Mastoor's style of dialogue writing and exposition. Writing about ''Zameen'' in his essay "" () he said, "Where she has used other literary devices to develop the story and the characters against a specific backdrop, she has also taken great care of speech and style." Farooqi compared her storytelling skill to that of Jane Austen.

In his book, Muhammad Naseem said that the author had presented the issues of the establishment of Pakistan and the migration with impartiality and skill. She has very well represented the feelings of a woman. Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi wrote in his article, "The way ''Aangan'' Aaliya and ''Zameen'' Sajida dominate their environment, could it be Khadija's own personality trait? But in my opinion, even more than her personality, it is Khadija's subconscious desire to see the woman dignified, which is embodied in Aaliya and Sajida."

Shaista Hameed attested that the author wrote "every single line of her novels with blood, sweat, and tears". The novel is considered a specimen of her skill of making prose memorable, without being idealistic or mixing lies in it.

Reviewing ''A Promised Land'' in ''Dawn'', Asif Farrukhi called ''Zameen'' a "neglected novel", while '' Scroll.in'' called it "Khadija Mastur's neglected masterpiece" when it republished the article. Lalitha Subramanian noted in the ''Deccan Herald'' the absence of bitterness towards India and recommending the novel to Indian readers, appreciated the Pakistani author's regard for Mahatma Gandhi.

References

{{Reflist

External links

*
Zameen
' at Goodreads

Urdu-language novels
Novels published posthumously
Urdu-language fiction
Pakistani fiction
1983 novels
Novels set in the 1940s
Pakistani historical novels
Pakistani social novels
National Language Promotion Department books
Sang-e-Meel Publications books
Novels by Khadija Mastoor
Fiction set in the 1940s
Novels about families
Novels about nationalism
Womanist novels
20th-century Pakistani novels
1983 in Pakistan
Novels set in Lahore