For Freedom’s Sake: Selected Stories and Sketches

This volume is part of the Pakistan Writers Series, which presents English translations of Urdu fiction. Also published in the series are Hasan Manzar’s A Requiem for the Earth, Khadija Mastur’s Cool Sweet Water, Ahmed Nadeem Qasimi’s The Old Banyan and Other Stories, and Abdullah Hussein’s Stories of Exile and Alienation. This collection captures Manto’s narrative clarity and immense literary power. It encompasses the full range of Manto’s thematic and formalistic concerns. Of the various short stories herein, some like ‘Toba Tek Singh’, ‘Cold Meat’, and Open It!’ deal with the horrific events that accompanied partition. Manto is known for the deftness and subtlety with which he handled sensuality and most of these stories combine such themes with the political turmoil of the pre-Partition subcontinent. Many of Manto’s stories, such as ‘The Black Shalwar’ and ‘Insult’, deal with the lives of pimps and prostitutes. Manto successfully captures their complete alienation from society and the effect of this isolation on their lives. ‘Tassels’ and ‘By the Roadside’ illustrate the author’s movement away from the conventional notions of plot and character. There are other stories about love, deception and mental anguish. The book also includes some sketches in words, such as ‘Ismat Chughtai’ and ‘Ashok Kumar’. His self-portrait ‘Sa’adat Hasan Manto’ expresses his artistic preoccupations and provides an insight into his creative processes. Manto’s open letter to Nehru is included here as it offers a glimpse into his mind after partition. This collection, with its variegated themes, can be considered truly representative of Manto’s art. This edition of Manto’s stories has been selected, introduced and translated by Mohammad Asaduddin. It also includes translations by Ralph Russell, Moazzam Sheik and Mohammad Umar Memon. Sa’adat Hasan Manto is one of the most famous and the most translated of Urdu writers. Apart from the innumerable translations of his work scattered in journals and periodicals, at least seven full-length volumes of his stories have appeared in English. A realist by conviction, his work covers the political, social and psychological life of the people of the subcontinent, particularly of those who are generally considered the outcasts of society.