Zinda Bahar Lane

Zinda Bahar Lane is the first part of the trilogy in which Fahmida Riaz has explored the theme of political violence in the subcontinent. In this work of extraordinary depth and literary charm, she treats the ironies and torments of South Asian political culture on a creative personal level and manages to bring into focus the dilemma central to the diverse communities inhabiting the subcontinent: How does one learn to live with those with a different religious, linguistic or ethnic background? Her exploration of the ordinary lives of the people of the region devastated and torn apart by decades of political violence enlightens, provokes and entertains the reader at the same time.
A unique montage of travelogue, reportage and interior monologue, Zinda Bahar Lane is a personal-historical narrative that holds a mirror to the multi-layered political and social reality. Fahmida Riaz sees through a maze of many interpretations and truths and lies to reach a deeper understanding of political issues through compassion. Written after her first ever visit to Bangladesh, Zinda Bahar Lane takes the reader on an intense and disquieting journey, back and forth in time and space, exploring the collective mindset that led to the alienation of an entire community, the consequent birth of Bangladesh and its myriad ramifications including the chasm that exists till today between the Bengali majority and the Bihari minority.
Widely acclaimed as an accomplished Urdu poet, prose-writer and translator, Fahmida Riaz is one of the finest practitioners of the modern verse form in Urdu. She is known for her exquisite use of language and her bold treatment of contemporary feminist and political themes in her writings. Fahmida Riaz has published several volumes of poetry and prose. She lives in Karachi.
ISBN 969-8380-40-X