Karachi, 27 October: Oxford University Press (OUP) organized a talk on its recent publication Crimson Papers: Reflections on Struggle, Suffering and Creativity in Pakistanby Harris Khalique. The book is a collection of essays offering an evaluation of social and political events through which individual and national histories are shaped. It provides a commentary on the evolution of society, polity, and the literary ethos of Pakistan in a broad South Asian context. The author maps out Pakistan’s changing cultural, political, and religious landscapes with the eye of a poet and the wisdom of a seer.
Harris Khalique is a leading Urdu and English language poet. He is also an essayist and columnist. During the 1980s and 1990s, some of his poems faced censorship in Pakistan. His works have been translated into several languages. He is a University of Iowa Honorary Fellow in Writing and has spoken widely on themes straddling culture, politics, human rights, and international development.
The event held at the Oxford bookshop in Lahore featured a conversation between the author and the well-known author and journalist Reema Abbasi. The discussion highlighted how this collection of evocatively written essays, culled from a rich source of history, literature, memory, and politics, should be compulsory reading for all Pakistanis and those interested in Pakistan. Mr Mohammad Zubair, Governor Sindh, who was the Chief Guest on the occasion also spoke.
Earlier in her welcome address, Ameena Saiyid, Managing Director, OUP Pakistan, introduced the author and the book and said, “These essays, written from the perspective of the author’s own life, capture Pakistan’s social and political history including how people are impacted by major political upheavals and social events, and how some individuals contribute in shaping both events and narratives.”