Sāye

Khalid Jawed
Introduced & translated by
Fathima M
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16879614

Translated from the Urdu short story written by Khalid Jawed

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Fathima M is Assistant Professor of English at Jyoti Nivas College, Bangalore. She received her PhD in English from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She was also a Fulbright scholar at the University of Texas at Austin, USA. She has contributed articles and reviews to various national and international publications.
Email: fathima.angel@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0759-6165

Khalid Jawed stands out as a significant figure in contemporary Urdu fiction, renowned for his distinct narrative approach and his in-depth exploration of existential, social, and psychological themes. Born in 1960 in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, he pursued a degree in Urdu literature and Philosophy. He served the Department of Urdu at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi as a Professor. His writing is recognized for its unsettling yet insightful reflections on the human experience, seamlessly blending themes of absurdity, alienation, violence, and decay into the fabric of everyday life. Among his notable works are the novels “Nemat Khana” (translated into English as “The Paradise of Food”), “Maut ki Kitaab”, and “Aakhri Daawat”, as well as several acclaimed short story collections. “The Paradise of Food” received the JCB Prize for Literature in 2022, a landmark achievement for Urdu fiction in translation.

Sāye © 2025 by Khalid Jawed Introduced & translated by Fathima M is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0