The Voice of a Bygone Century

Of the many voices to come out of the subcontinent in the last century, Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s (1911-1984) is perhaps the strongest. He has been described as many things—the misunderstood Marxist, the compassionate humanist, an irresistible charmer and of course the revolutionary poet. Faiz’s poetry lives on, as powerful today, many years after his death, as it was in his heyday. Like his life, his poetry has been through many phases. His earlier work during pre-partition times is light, romantic and lyrical. Later the bitterness of partition, the crushed hopes that accompanied the failings of the new country, wars with India and the harshness of exile gave his poetry a new redolence. Though never didactic, Faiz touched on political and ethical topics, some of them illusions to the homeland while others simple accounts of heartbreak, love and humanity. O City of Lights is the latest in translation of Faiz’s works. The book celebrates Faiz’s life and works. It contains essays and memoirs along with original poetry and translations as parallel text.