The magical realm of fiction

Taran N Khan finds out how Toronto-based Musharraf Ali Farooqi juggles his roles as Urdu translator and English novelist.

How did two such different works end up reaching the readers together?
It was just a happy coincidence. I did work on the Hoshruba translation while writing The Story Of A Widow. However, most of the translation was done after I finished writing the novel. I am very influenced by Urdu classical literature and its strong storytelling tradition. You can think of that as some sort of underlying link between the two books.

What makes Tilism e Hoshruba such a special work to translate?
I have described Hoshruba as “the world’s first magical fantasy epic” and it is not a description I take lightly. It is the first instance of a fantasy which has almost completely divested itself of mythical and legendary connections. You can also call it the first science fiction epic because the tilism (or magical realm), is created by a scientific formula and unravelled by another formula. With the rare exception of an odd jinn here and there, it does not have any mythical creatures either. I think these are wonderful, powerful stories. I am translating them because if they are not preserved and promoted in my generation, it will become even more difficult for later generations to do it.

Why are the dastans still so obscure, as compared to other epics like Shahnameh or even the Mahabharata? Is it because of the language alone?
It is not a matter of language but a matter of attitude. We have a very indifferent attitude toward what really defines us as a people: our linguistic and cultural identity. I always ask people, how it is that qorma and biryani and their recipes have remained with us since the Mughal times, but their literary works and language have been lost. It says a lot about our priorities. The Iranians make sure they provide a language school for their children in their overseas communities. We make sure we have the tikka kebab shop. The Story Of A Widow is the opposite in literary style.

Was this in response to the high-flown eloquence of the Hoshruba characters? A story decides the kind of language and narrative style in which it will be told. The Story Of A Widow chose its language and I complied with its wishes. I do not have a fixed writing style. Another story will dictate its own language.

You have been compared to Jane Austen for your description of family life in Karachi.
I have not read Jane Austen. I have only seen the BBC series made on her novels. And I have always maintained that this book owes more to Azeem Baig Chughtai’s novels and the Japanese writer Junichiro Tanizaki’s The Makioka Sisters. Also, I lived in Karachi for ten  years and have been visiting it since childhood. So I’m well aware of the dynamics in extended families and how the strings are pulled by them as I have seen them in action. 

What can we expect to read from you in the future?
I am translating the other 23 volumes of the Hoshruba dastans under the Urdu Project. Besides that, I am collaborating on a graphic novel, Rabbit Rap, with my wife Michelle. The story is about a group of post-modern rabbits who bring disaster upon themselves because of their blind greed. It is a fable for our times.