More Manto: an exercise in accessibility by Mujahid Eshai

LAHORE: An English translation of the non-fiction works of infamous Urdu writer Saadat Hassan Manto by Mujahid Eshai. The books was launched at the Punjab Institute of Literature, Arts and Culture, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. The launch was attended by a number of people and also presented to the public ‘Thoughtful Musings,’ an English translation of the works of Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi.

The work of Saadat Hasan Manto has seen a revival in Pakistan over the course of the past few years. The short story writer, journalist, playwright and essayist was previously cast out from the mainstream due to the propagation of the view that his work largely consisted of obscenity. And while he was legally charged of the crime thrice by the British and thrice by the Pakistani government, there seems to now be a wholehearted acceptance of Saadat Hassan Manto.

Mujahid Eshai’s translation of Manto’s non-fiction works titled ‘More Manto’ is one in many attempts to make the writing of the enigmatic and often misunderstood writer more accessible and understandable to the general public.

For a certain cross-section of society, reading the works of Manto in Urdu is nearly impossible. Some do not understand the language well enough, and others are simply afraid to approach the aura of mystery surrounding his words. For that much Eshai has managed to interpret the essence of the picture captured by Manto’s words. This is not the first time Manto has been translated into English, but with every translation he becomes a little bit less scary and just that much easier to read, interpret and discover.

The translation itself is reminiscent of Manto’s original works in Urdu. And while one would think this is high praise, Manto is not a writer difficult to translate. His casual, run-of-the-mill style of writing is one easily emulated in all languages. Manto’s constant sarcastic undertone that dominates at will and plays with the reader is a universal feeling expressed through any language. In reproducing Manto’s simple and direct tête-à-tête writing style, Esahi has been successful.

However all translations are a job of hacking, sawing and moulding at the end of the day. And while it can be done both surgically and with a butcher’s cleaver, Esahi’s attempt lies somewhere in the middle. While the essence of the original work has been capture, a big ask, much of the lyrical and smooth transitional quality of it has been lost. It is only natural, rain will never have the same connotation as baarish and the melodious expressions of the Urdu language are easily lost in translation. The translation is a product of passion and love, but not one of particular professionalism. And while it has much to be lauded, it does not have the consonance to quite be up there.

Perhaps this reservation has much to do with the extreme reproduction and propagation of Saadat Hassan Manto. It is not that the translation is bad, it is in fact more than fitting, but the constant pushing and talk of Manto means that every time someone sees something titled ‘More Manto,’ the immediate reaction is ‘No more! No more!’

It must be remembered that the appreciation of Manto’s work is quite recent. He was commemorated on a postage stamp in 2005 and posthumously awarded the Nishan-i-Imtiaz in 2014, the time period of his work coming into the limelight has been very short from a literary perspective. And in this short time frame we have managed to overdo Manto and his work. He has been overused to no end. While the renewed interest is a hopeful thing, the amount of propagation is needless. It must be remembered after all, and idol does not need to have clay feet to collapse, iron is also brittle and will break under pressure.

More Manto

(English)

Mujahid Eshai

Sangemeel publications

Pp 219

Rs. 800.00