New Age Islam

Books and Documents

14 Sep 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com

The Return of Mirza Ghalib

By Adab Nawaz

Seeing the kind of interest the poet generates among the literati and the spell he casts over connoisseurs, one can safely say Ghalib was not off the mark when he predicted his immortality. Remarkably, Bijnori heaped laurels on Ghalib when he said that there are only two divine books in India: the Veda and Diwan-e-Ghalib, Ghalib's collection of poems. Apart from his huge poetic oeuvre (11,000 couplets in Urdu, 6,600 in Persian), Ghalib has left behind a great body of letters. He is justified when he congratulates himself on inventing a new style of letter-writing in Urdu. Simple, direct and conversational, Ghalib's letters mirror the poet's personal angst; his taste for the good life; and the "travesty" of the times he lived in. Addressed to his countless friends and pupils in far-flung areas, his letters contributed immensely to the evolution of modern Urdu prose. Based on his letters, the book focuses on Ghalib's "lesser-known relationship" with Gujarat. Comprising 61 letters—many of them addressed to the Imam's ancestors (the Nawabs of Kamadhia) and dated between 1859 and 1869—the book shows how Ghalib loved Gujarat and its people. -- Adab Nawaz http://newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamBooksAndDocuments_1.aspx?ArticleID=5475