Culture and Identity: Selected English Writings of Faiz

This book is a compilation of Faiz Ahmad Faiz's important English writings. Some of the articles spell out Faiz's well-known predilection for the progressive canons of literature. he could not conceive of art, literature, and culture without relating to the social, political and cultural tensions of the society they seek to portray. He has emphasized the relationship between super-structure and the scoio-politico-economic structure. One may not agree with him on certain points but the tone and tenor of his arguments reflects the kind of person he was, cool and unflappable. Some articles come under the category 'applied criticism'. Articles on Amir Khusrau, Ghalib, Tolstoy, and Sadequain figure prominently. His article on Iqbal, if translated into Urdu, is perhaps the best article on Iqbal as a poet. One could only wish that he could devote more attention to Urdu criticism. His interviews have discussed in passing certain trends and issues, which required discursive and deep discussions. Anyhow, even the 'hints' and cursory allusions to important writers in his articles could become turning points in the writings of those writers who take their cues from these hints and amplify them.