“Maṣrūf Aurat” by Khalida Hussain (1937-2019)
Translated by Sabyn Javeri
Abstract:
Khalida Hussain (1937–2019) was born in Lahore and started her literary career by publishing short stories in the journal Adab-e Latīf during the 1960s. She took a break from writing for more than a decade after her marriage. She remerged again on the literary scene in 1981 with the publication of her short story collection, Paḥchān, followed by five more short story collections and a novel. Hussain is known for introducing a new trend on the Urdu literary horizon as she experimented with the idea of abstract and non-inear narratives. She was very skillful in her craft, using a technique, John Gardner calls ‘the psychic lens’. Every now and then she would draw the reader in to her thoughts then zoom out and offer a more aerial view of the plot. Her technique differed from stream-of consciousness, which her contemporaries employed, as she was careful not to isolate the reader into the confines of her mind. She was also one of the few writers who despite living in intolerant times under dictatorship, was not afraid to draw on Hindu mythology or Sufi traditions as she explored spirituality in her writings, particularly the concept of wujūd through existentialism. Hussain’s narratives serve as a source of inspiration for challenging societal norms and advocating for positive change, making her work profoundly relevant in today’s world. Her compact yet dazzling body of work endures as a clarion call to raising feminist consciousness, destined to inspire generations in the quest for equality and freedom. She wasn’t just an author; she was a humanist icon, her stories, a powerful voice for change.
Works cited
https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/masroof-aurat-khalida-hussain-ebooks
Woolf, Virginia. The Death of the Mother: and other Essays. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1942.
Sabyn Javeri is the Program Head of Undergraduate Writing at New York University Abu Dhabi. She is the author of Hijabistan (Harper Collins: 2019) and the novel Nobody Killed Her (Harper Collins: 2017) and has edited the first non-fiction collection of essays by Pakistani women Ways of Being: Anthology of Pakistani Women’s Creative Non-Fiction (Women Unlimited: 2023) as well as two multilingual anthologies of student writing titled, ‘The Arzu Anthology of Student Voices’ (HUP: 2019, 2018). Her writings have been published in the Journal of Commonwealth Literature, South Asian Review, The London Magazine, Wasafiri, The Oxonian Review, Asymptote, Trespass, World Literature, amongst other publications. Her short fiction has been widely anthologized and she has won the Oxonian Review short story prize and has been shortlisted for the Tibor Jones, Leaf Books, Adab and Publishing Next awards. She has a Master’s from the University of Oxford and a doctorate from the University of Leicester. Her research interests include postcolonial feminism, South Asian women’s literature, translations and creative writing.
“Maṣrūf Aurat” by Khalida Hussain (1937-2019) © 2023 by Sabyn Javeri is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
