Saadat Hasan Manto (1912-1955) remains one of the most provocative, influential, and widely debated writers of modern South Asia. Revered for his uncompromising realism and his fearless engagement with questions of sexuality, violence, class, gender, and power, Manto continues to challenge readers across generations. His writings expose the contradictions of colonial modernity, the moral anxieties of emerging nation-states, and the fragile boundaries between civilization and barbarity.nnThis course offers an in-depth exploration of Manto’s literary world through a close reading of his short stories, sketches, essays, letters, and autobiographical writings. While Manto is often remembered primarily as a chronicler of the Partition of India, the course situates his work within a much broader intellectual and cultural landscape, including Bombay’s film industry, the Progressive Writers’ Movement, urban life, censorship debates, questions of gender and sexuality, and the relationship between literature and social reality.nnStudents will engage with Manto’s writings in the original Urdu, while English translations will be made available for support and comparative analysis. Alongside Manto’s primary texts, the course will draw on critical writings by scholars and critics such as Ayesha Jalal, Muhammad Umar Memon, Leslie Flemming, Shamim Hanafi, Mumtaz Shirin, and others to examine the literary, historical, and political dimensions of his work.nnMoving beyond simplistic celebrations or condemnations of Manto, the course invites students to grapple with difficult questions about representation, ethics, memory, trauma, desire, and artistic freedom. By placing Manto in conversation with contemporary debates about identity, nationalism, violence, and freedom of expression, the course seeks to understand not only who Manto was, but also why he continues to matter in the twenty-first century.
