by RAUF PAREKH
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), the third president of the USA, is said to have compiled several lists of ‘great books’ or ‘best books’. Since then, the concept of a list of ‘100 best books’ or ‘1,000 great books’ has been popular in the western culture. Some have prepared a list of books they wish to read before they die. Many have prepared their own lists of best books. Also, there are best book lists that have been prepared by teams of scholars.
Last week a friend of mine asked if there were any such lists in Urdu. I said as far as I could recall there were none and there could hardly be any list on which everyone agreed. She suggested somebody should start compiling a list of best Urdu books and others would join in. My idea was to start a list of the best books on the basis of genres.
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1. Kaala paani — First published in 1884, the full title is ‘Tavaareekh-i-Ajeeb almaaroof bah kaala paani’. Jafer Thanesari (1838-1905) penned this slim volume when he returned from Andaman Islands, where he was imprisoned in January 1866 for about 20 years on the charges of ‘treason’ against the British. It may not be a complete autobiography in the real sense of the term, but it is a first-hand account of the life on these islands and gives a political and historical background of the 1857 war of freedom. It is one of the earliest Urdu autobiographies and makes a good reading, too. Recently, Sang-i-Meel Publications, Lahore, has reprinted it.
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8. Yaadon ki baraat — Often dubbed as a controversial book by Josh Maleehabadi (1898-1982), it appeared in 1970 and was criticised for some of its contents that discuss Josh’s innumerable love affairs. Known for his command of the Urdu language, Josh has definitely written beautiful and inimitable prose. The narration of his early life and the environment is absorbing. Recently, Dr Hilal Naqvi found its missing pages and published them. Yaadon ki baraat is definitely one of the most interesting biographies of Urdu.
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