Contemporary Literature

It must be said that contemporary literature in a way parallels other aspects of Pakistani culture. What I mean by this is the slow forming nature that seems to be a lingering issue with this developing country. Since 1947 the literature aspect of Pakistani culture was slow to find its identity, however of late the country has established itself in a literary sense.

With new authors coming out with award winning novels it’s easy to see a positive trend occurring. We can probably blame the late establishment factor for the slow development but it’s good to see Pakistan emerging from its neighbor and former countries shadow India. I wonder however why it’s taken this long for Pakistan to start producing great authors? Of course there’s been some talented writers but nothing compared to the vast amount we’ve seen throughout these recent years. One author, Mohsin Hamid, has excelled in particular. Mohsin Hamid has written two novels, first Moth Smoke, and his most famous and latest book The Reluctant Fundamentalist. In his latest book Hamid was recognized and short listed for the Booker Prize, a renowned literary award.

Like I said earlier, the recent years have been the most successful for Pakistan literature, but how successful should Pakistan be? In terms of where Pakistan can be I would bet that if the literacy rate improved we would also see a rise in quality literature. At nearly 50% Pakistan is finds itself near the bottom of the literacy list. By improving this statistic but more specifically education itself should be priority number one for politicians.

Despite some let downs and a slow start, Pakistan appears to be moving rather quickly in the right direction. With old authors being recognized and new authors making their mark, one can only predict a bright future for contemporary Pakistani literature.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/feb/17/fiction-pakistan-hanif