Legendary Pakistani writer Intizar Hussain passes away

 Intizar Hussain, a veteran India-born Urdu short story writer, poet and journalist died. He was 93. Husain, considered one of the greatest Urdu writers in history was shifted to Defence Hospital Lahore after his condition deteriorated last week. He breathed his last in the afternoon. 

Born on December 7, 1923 at Dibai in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh in India, he migrated to Lahore in 1947. He did his MA (Urdu) in 1946 from the Meerut College. He worked in various newspapers and retired from 'Daily Mashriq' in 1988. Husain was conferred the 'Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters' by France in 2014.

He was among the 10 finalists for the Man Booker International Prize for fiction in 2013. He was the first Pakistani and the first Urdu writer ever to be nominated for the international award. Husain's books include 'Gali Koochay', 'Kankari', 'Din Aur Dastan', 'Shehr-i-afsos', 'Kachhuay', 'Khaimay Say Door', 'Khali Pinjra', 'Morenama' and 'Sheharzad Kay Naam'. 

Despite being read and loved by many, Hussain kept a low-key profile. Husain had earlier said Urdu has always had a strong tradition of poetry but if Urdu and Muslim writers had not disowned the grand fiction produced in ancient India, they could have built an equally strong tradition of Urdu prose, as well.