One of the foremost poets in the Indian sub-continent, Faiz Ahmed Faiz was born in Sialkot in Pakistan. He studied philosophy and English literature, but poetry and politics preoccupied him more than anything else. For writing poetry that always antagonizes the ruling Žlite and challenges colonial and feudal values, like such rebellious writers as Ngugi of Kenya and Darwish of Palestine, Faiz had to go to jail repeatedly during both colonial and postcolonial times in Pakistan. Inspired by the Marxist ideology, Faiz's poetry exhibits a strong sense of commitment to lower-class people, yet it always maintains a unique beauty nourished by the long, rich tradition of Urdu literature. His love poems are as appealing as his political poems, and he is considered primarily responsible for shaping poetic diction in contemporary Urdu poetry.
I was in Pune, when I found a 1973 edition of 'Poems by Faiz'. My knowledge of urdu poetry was very limited, then. It still is. I knew a few words of urdu thanks to Bollywood classics and a little 'Mirza Ghalib', cutesy Jagjit Singh's brilliant rendition of poems from 'Deewan-e-ghalib'.
Faiz is a difficult poet for me, but V. G. Kiernan's exceptional translation has opened the doors of Faiz's world for me. Through this blog, I intend to convey my interpretation of Faiz.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
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