1. Ralph Russell (1918–2008) is regarded as the greatest western scholar of Urdu. Khushwant Singh described him as ‘the most revered name among interpreters of Ghalib’s life and works’. He headed the Urdu department at SOAS, University of London for 30 years, and was a popular visiting scholar in India and Pakistan. His books include The Pursuit of Urdu Literature: A Select History, Three Mughal Poets: Mir, Sauda, Mir Hasan and Ghalib: Life, Letters and Ghazals. 2. Saif Mahmood is a Delhi- and London-based author, translator, rights activist, and an Advocate of the Supreme Court of India. Saif has won particular acclaim for his passionate recitations of Urdu poetry. His writings on literature and law and his English translations of Urdu prose and verse have appeared in several Indian and international publications.
<p>This beautifully designed box set brings together two of the finest and most popular selections of classical and early modern Urdu poetry and prose, brilliantly translated into English for the contemporary reader. With short biographies and essays for context, the two anthologies also add up to an illuminating history of pre-modern Urdu literature.</p><p>In A Thousand Yearnings, Ralph Russell presents a carefully curated selection of literary short stories (by Prem Chand, Manto, Ismat Chughtai and others), popular literature (retellings of old legends, parables and qissas), love poetry by Mir and Ghalib, elegant essays and biting satire, and an abridged version of the iconic novel Umrao Jan Ada.</p><p>Saif Mahmood’s best-selling treasure of a book, Beloved Delhi, documents the life and work of the finest classical Urdu poets: Sauda, Dard, Mir, Ghalib, Momin, Zafar, Zauq and Daagh. Through their biographies and translated poetry—including their best-known ghazals—it also paints a compelling portrait of late-Mughal Delhi.</p>
