Akhtar Husain Raipuri

Akhtar Husain Raipuri was an intellectual of high status. Born in Raipur, India, he lost his mother at an early age. Although he came from a family with literary tastes, in the absence of his mother it was an illiterate maidservant who was mainly responsible for his bringing up. Yet Raipuri conceived and always retained a deep love for knowledge. He was a voracious reader from a very young age and had a formidable memory for what he read. Moreover, he was a polyglot with command over several...See more

Akhtar Husain Raipuri was an intellectual of high status. Born in Raipur, India, he lost his mother at an early age. Although he came from a family with literary tastes, in the absence of his mother it was an illiterate maidservant who was mainly responsible for his bringing up. Yet Raipuri conceived and always retained a deep love for knowledge. He was a voracious reader from a very young age and had a formidable memory for what he read. Moreover, he was a polyglot with command over several languages, among them, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Bengali, English, and French. Raipuri's article Adab aur Zindagi ( Literature and Life ) was the first piece of writing in India to set down the theory and fundamentals of literary criticism that pioneered the Progressive style in Indian literature. It had great influence in shaping the new style of literary writing. Raipuri left for France before the Second World War, where he read for and obtained a doctorate from the University of Paris. During the War he remained in Europe and has written about this interesting experience in his memoir. He hobnobbed with many literary and other celebrities, and there are numerous fascinating vignettes and glimpses in his memoir of people such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi, Maulvi Abdul Haq, Munshi Premchand, Khalida Adeeb Khanum, the royal family of Iran, Aldoux Huxley, and Sartre. He traveled a great deal as UNESCO's representative in various countires. In addition to his intellectual interests, his love of nature, his pursuits such as mountaineering, and his interest in animals enliven and inform this chronicle. Amina Azfar is a freelance writer, editor, and translator. She has written story books and school textbooks, both in English and in Urdu. She has translated Munshi Prem Chand's novel, Bazaar-e-Husn , published under the English title of The Courtesans' Quarter and Sajjad Zaheer's Roshani , published under the English title of The Light . Both books have been published by Oxford University Press, Pakistan. Her other pursuit is reviewing fiction. Her book reviews are published in Dawn , a leading Pakistani newspaper. Mrs. Azfar lives in Karachi, Pakistan. See less