Saadat Hasan Manto

Sayma Khan

Ed. by Pavan Kumar Malreddy, J W Goethe University of Frankfurt
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.3.2: Pakistani and Bangladeshi Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Claire Gallien (Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3), Sarker Hasan Al Zayed (Independent University Bangladesh), Pavan Kumar Malreddy (J W Goethe University of Frankfurt), Delphine Munos (Université de Liège), Muneeza Shamsie (Independent Scholar - Asia), Niaz Zaman (Independent University Bangladesh)

Dates

Born 1912
Died 1955
Activity 1936-1955

Places

Born in Pakistan
Active in Pakistan

Activities

Primary

Essayist
Playwright / Dramatist
Story-writer

Other

Novelist

Resources

Manto's Works

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Saadat Hasan Manto, a prolific Urdu writer, was born in Samrala (Punjab), British India, in May 1912 to Muslim Kashmiri parents. Not much is known of Manto’s childhood and his early adolescent years. What is known, however, is that his interest in literature stems from an early age. He took a special interest in French and Russian literature, which he also translated into Urdu – a move that had a lasting impact on his career as a writer. After establishing himself as a leading and controversial figure in Urdu writing in pre-Partition India, he moved to Pakistan shortly after its creation as a nation-state in 1947. Manto was thrice charged for writing obscene stories in pre-partition India, but was never convicted. But his legal battle (see note 1) with official authorities…

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1741 words

Citation: Khan, Sayma. "Saadat Hasan Manto". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 August 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14088, accessed 24 November 2024.]