Best of Faiz (English and Urdu Edition)

Faiz Ahmed Faiz is the most famous contemporary Urdu poet of the twentieth century who appeals both to the common man as well as the elite connoisseurs of poetry. In the matter of style, Faiz can be called the inheritor of the tradition of Ghalib because of his writing style of ghazals, which reflects a strong influence of the Persian style and diction. At the same time, several of his poems are written in simple conversational style dealing with the problems of the common man. Faiz was a committed poet who regarded poetry as a vehicle of serious thought rather than just a pleasurable pastime, and often used his poetry to champion the cause of socialistic humanism.Born in Sialkot (Pakistan) in 1911, Faiz began his career as a lecturer in English but soon after turned to journalism where he excelled, rising to the post of editor of The Pakistan Times. In 1951, the Pakistan government sentenced him to four years imprisonment on the charges of complicity in a failed coup attempt known as the Rawalpindi Conspiracy case. While in jail he wrote two of his greatest works, Dasta-e-Saba and Zindan-Nama. During the regime of Zia-ul Haq, he was forced into exile to Beirut. He returned to Pakistan in 1982 and two years later he passed away.This book offers a selection of the best of Faiz's ghazals and poems along with their English transliterations so you can enjoy the beauty and richness of the Urdu language as you read the English transliteration while the translation helps you understand the meaning with all its subtle nuances.