NEW DELHI / Allahabad, UTTAR PRADESH :
The legendary Urdu critic and Padma Shri awardee has contributed immensely to modern literary discourse
New Delhi :
Legendary Urdu writer and critic Shamsur Rahman Faruqi died in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday. His death came after a month of recovering from Covid-19. Faruqi, 85, was discharged from a hospital in Delhi on November 23.
“He had been insisting to go back to his home in Allahabad. We reached here only this morning and within half an hour he passed away at around 11,” Faruqi’s nephew and writer Mahmood Farooqui told PTI.
He used to live in Delhi after retiring as a chief postmaster-general and member of the Postal Services Board in 1994.
Faruqi was born on 30 September 1935 in Uttar Pradesh.
Author of several books, Faruqi has contributed to modern literary discourse with a profundity rarely seen in contemporary Urdu critics. His books of fiction, The Mirror of Beauty (translated into English from the Urdu Kai Chaand The Sar-e-Aasmaan in 2006), and The Sun That Rose From The Earth (Penguin India, 2014), have been highly critically acclaimed.
He used to edit a literary magazine Shabkhoon which he himself had launched. He is also credited with reviving “Dastangoi”, a 16th century Urdu oral storytelling art form.
Faruqi was the recipient of numerous honours including Padma Shri, Sahitya Akademi award and Saraswati Samman award.
His burial will take place at Ashok Nagar cemetery in Allahabad at 6 pm on Friday.
Writer William Dalrymple took to Twitter to mourn the demise of Faruqi.
“RIP, Janab Shamsur Rahman Faruqi saheb, one of the last great Padshahs of the Urdu literary world. This is such sad news,” Dalrymple said.
Sanjiv Saraf, the founder of the famous Rekhta portal, also condoled the death of “the century’s most iconic figure in the realm of Urdu literature”.
“His demise has left us bereaved as an entire generation of literature lovers mourn this loss. I extend heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones,” Saraf said.
source: http://www.clarionindia.net / Clarion India / Home> India / by Team Clarion / December 25th, 2020