Author Description

Taking a historical view, the study regards the formative Deccan period as particularly important, both for the natural bent of the language and the natural inclination of the poets. The author's view that the pure, indigenous Urdu is better than the Persianised Urdu is clearly explained. This literary history ends with a notice on Mohammad Iqbal. When the book was written the Progressive Writers' Movement had not been launched, and the author stood at a cusp. From this vantage, he provides us with a useful summary of the past, and gives a context to unfolding trends in literature. Another interesting, in fact important, aspect of this work is that the author is rarely dismissive of any poet, however minor. The author's credentials as a historian of literature are validated by the place he assigns to minor poets who make up the general fabric of literature to a far greater extent than the major poets-the major poets being too individual-and their sameness being a challenge to a discerning critic seeking precision