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Talat Abbasi is one of the best-known fiction writers in English writing about the Pakistani experience. This is a collection of seventeen short stories that explore the worlds of Pakistanis in Karachi and its environs, and of Pakistanis in New York. Collectively the stories portray each strata of contemporary Pakistani society, from the privileged upper classes to servants.
The collection centers on the friction between traditional cultural expectations and the realities of modern life for Pakistanis living both at home and abroad. Through seventeen distinct narratives, Abbasi examines the lives of individuals navigating class divides, migration, and the constraints of social hierarchy. The stories operate within a realist framework, focusing on the domestic and public spheres of Karachi and New York. Each piece functions as a character study, highlighting the internal conflicts of protagonists caught between their heritage and their current environments.
Readers and critics frequently note the precision with which Abbasi captures the nuances of the Pakistani experience across different geographic settings. Discussion often centers on the author's ability to render the stark contrasts between the privileged elite and the working class with equal clarity. The pacing is described as deliberate, allowing for deep character development within the short story format. Many highlight the collection's effectiveness in portraying the psychological weight of migration and the persistence of social structures. The work is recognized for its observational depth and its refusal to simplify the complexities of its subjects.
Page Count:
172
Publication Date:
2001-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN-10:
0195796241
ISBN-13:
9780195796247
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