LAHORE (Web Desk) – The 69th death anniversary of renowned Urdu fiction writer Saadat Hasan Manto is being observed today.
His fictions are considered as true reflection of the society. He died on this day at the age of 42 years. He was buried in Lahore.
A prolific writer and playwright, Saadat Hasan Manto was born on 11th May in Ludhiana in 1912. He died young, in his early 40s, but over the short course of his life, produced over 20 collections of short stories, a novel, radio plays, and essays. Manto migrated to Lahore after partition.
A nonconformist writer who was deeply affected by the reality of the socio-political structure and communal and regional divide of the time, Manto produced some of the best works in the last seven years of his life when he was going through great financial and emotional hardships.
Manto passed away on January 18, 1955.
The story for which Manto faced a trial in criminal court for obscenity, Thanda Gosht is about the sordid reality of the communal violence of 1947, told through Ishwar Singh, his mistress Kalwant, a murder, and a confession.
Bitter Fruit is a collection of Manto’s short stories, plays and sketches, portraits of cinema artistes, a few pieces on himself, and his letters to Uncle Sam with references to communism, Russia, politics after the Partition and his own financial condition.
Some of his publications are, Atishpare, Manto Ke Afsane, Dhuan, Afsane Aur Drame, Laazat-e-Sang, Thanda Gosht, Baghair Ijazat, Burque, Ratti, Masha and Tolah. He also wrote a number of famous letters to Uncle Sam, which were published in English language as well.
On January 18, 2005, the Government of Pakistan issued a postage stamp to commemorate his services on his 50th death anniversary. On August 14, 2012, Manto was also honored with Nishan-e-Imtiaz award by Pakistani government.