LAHORE – Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) has introduced ‘Faiz Ahmed Faiz Award’ on poetry to pay tribute to Faiz, PAL Chairman Fakhar Zaman announced this at a press conference on Friday. The award includes a cash prize of Rs 100,000, to be given on a poetry book written in English and any Pakistani language. Fakhar said PAL has planned to hold Faiz Ahmad Faiz International Conference in Pakistan in the third week of May 2011. Scholars from Holland, Germany, Italy, SAARC countries, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Uzbekistan, Canada, USA and Czechoslovakia among others will attend this conference, he said.
Fakhar said that PAL also plans to prepare a documentary on Faiz’s life. All the PAL provincial branches held seminars on Faiz on February 11-12, while a seminar was held on February 10 at PAL’s headquarters to commemorate Faiz’s 100th birthday.
Zaman said PAL has published a book on Faiz’s life and his works, titled “Makers of Pakistani Literature” whose third edition hit the market in recent days. PAL published a special book on Faiz, written by Tasleem Elahi Zulfi titled “Faiz Ahmad Faiz in Beirut”.
PAL also published a book on Faiz’s life and his works and its translation in English and other Pakistani languages was underway, he said. Fakhar said writings and poetry of Faiz and books on Faiz will also be translated into all Pakistani regional languages. The articles read at the seminar of Faiz arranged by PAL in Lahore are under publication by the University of Gujrat, which will be brought out this month. He requested the prime minister to release funds to complete the construction work of Faiz Auditorium. The project was initially scheduled to be completed in February 2009, but was delayed owing to financial constraints.
