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Naked Voices: Stories And Sketches
In this collection of sixteen stories and three sketches, translated by Rakhshanda Jalil, Manto brazenly celebrates the warts of a seemingly decent society as well as its dark underbelly - tired and overworked prostitutes in 'The Candle's Tears' or 'Loser all the Way'; ruthless as also humane pimps in 'The Hundred Candle Watt Bulb' and 'Sahay'; the utter helplessness of men in the face of a sexual encounter in 'Naked Voices' and 'Coward'; and the madness perpetrated by the Partition as witnessed in 'By God!' and 'Yazid'. In one of the three sketches, which form part of this collection, the author brilliantly reveals himself to the world in a schizophrenic piece titled 'Saadat Hasan' calling 'Manto the writer' a liar, a thief and a failure! And in another titled 'In a Letter to Uncle Sam', Manto superbly couches his anti-imperialistic views in an innocent letter from a poor nephew to a capitalist and prosperous uncle in America.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
141 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
27 people are currently reading
330 people want to read
About the author
Saadat Hasan Manto
544 books1,102 followersSaadat Hasan Manto (Urdu: سعادت حسن منٹو, Hindi: सआदत हसन मंटो), the most widely read and the most controversial short-story writer in Urdu, was born on 11 May 1912 at Sambrala in Punjab's Ludhiana District. In a writing career spanning over two decades he produced twenty-two collections of short stories, one novel, five collections of radio plays, three collections of essays, two collections of reminiscences and many scripts for films. He was tried for obscenity half a dozen times, thrice before and thrice after independence. Not always was he acquitted. Some of Manto's greatest work was produced in the last seven years of his life, a time of great financial and emotional hardship for him. He died a few months short of his forty-third birthday, in January 1955, in Lahore.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 15, 2016
This was my first exposure to Manto, and definitely won't be the last. Manto's writing is so powerful, comprehensive, and compact that I wish I could read his original Urdu work and not translations. The stories are so well written, that within the few pages that they occupy, they bare the souls of men and society. The raw, gritty, tones leave no space for fluff. Yet, they are thoroughly gripping. Manto successfully captures the essence of human struggle, and presents every character's point of view with complete justice.
Manto's characters are not dark, they are all grey. The only villain in Manto's writing is society and the human collective, who can inflict upon each other atrocities like murder, rape, moral judgments and shame amongst other horrible acts. Yet, any individual performing these acts is shown to have his reasons, whether it be his conditioning, a result of wounds suffered by him, or a natural urge of one's sexual instincts. The lowliest of pimps has a heart of gold, the most upright person has desires that are deviant, the one considered civil has the rage to kill. All society's victims, yet the microfiber of society themselves.
To be able to portray all these values in the short form, to be able make the reader empathize with all these characters without the luxury of building these characters up, and to be able to reflect on the dark evil side of society by raising numerous questions, is Manto's genius.
Manto's characters are not dark, they are all grey. The only villain in Manto's writing is society and the human collective, who can inflict upon each other atrocities like murder, rape, moral judgments and shame amongst other horrible acts. Yet, any individual performing these acts is shown to have his reasons, whether it be his conditioning, a result of wounds suffered by him, or a natural urge of one's sexual instincts. The lowliest of pimps has a heart of gold, the most upright person has desires that are deviant, the one considered civil has the rage to kill. All society's victims, yet the microfiber of society themselves.
To be able to portray all these values in the short form, to be able make the reader empathize with all these characters without the luxury of building these characters up, and to be able to reflect on the dark evil side of society by raising numerous questions, is Manto's genius.
May 25, 2017
"It is possible, however, that Saadat Hasan may die and Manto may not."
Manto is a mental monster. He has no filters. No fucks to give. He writes about raw human (and inhuman) emotions with no qualms whatsoever. He makes you brood over your demons, and trust me, you too are going to absolutely love him, the magic he spins with his words and the sigh-spree that you're about to embark on.
Manto is a mental monster. He has no filters. No fucks to give. He writes about raw human (and inhuman) emotions with no qualms whatsoever. He makes you brood over your demons, and trust me, you too are going to absolutely love him, the magic he spins with his words and the sigh-spree that you're about to embark on.
January 4, 2017
3.5/5
I think I enjoyed those pieces the most in which Manto has written from his POV. Always interesting to know how/what he thinks. Always reminds me of Why I Write - another collection of essays by him.
I think I enjoyed those pieces the most in which Manto has written from his POV. Always interesting to know how/what he thinks. Always reminds me of Why I Write - another collection of essays by him.
August 13, 2018
Imagine every vice possible- lust, greed, jealousy, alcohol, adultery. You will find all of it in these 16 stories and amidst all there is appreciation for beauty, humanity, nostalgia, in a way that grows upon you. These stories don't embellish pain, they give a realistic picture. The stories glimmered on the requisites of survival- hunger, love, sleep and sex. Especially sex, he prodigiously writes about it, detaching it from all taboos, assigning it the respectful attribute of life it deserves. He not once cares to check the socially approved boxes, and I guess that's what made him great.
The empathy with which he writes about prostitutes and women in general is soul-stirring. The barbaric tales of Partition were distressing. The last three sketches were a wonderful read too. In a letter written to his rich uncle settled abroad, he calls himself "a great writer", his modesty is amusing. The last sketch in which he writes about his thought process during Partition, about the pain of refugees, the wretched condition of these camps, all of it is heart-breaking.
Happiness is oversold in our culture. Dwell in deep, dark pain. Looking forward to reading more of his work!
The empathy with which he writes about prostitutes and women in general is soul-stirring. The barbaric tales of Partition were distressing. The last three sketches were a wonderful read too. In a letter written to his rich uncle settled abroad, he calls himself "a great writer", his modesty is amusing. The last sketch in which he writes about his thought process during Partition, about the pain of refugees, the wretched condition of these camps, all of it is heart-breaking.
Happiness is oversold in our culture. Dwell in deep, dark pain. Looking forward to reading more of his work!
September 11, 2013
Saadat Hasan Manto's short stories have an Edgar Allan Poe's quality.
They suck you in with grim tales of humanity, you start trusting the
character's instincts but when you are finally at rest within the
short narrative, they hit you with their darkest side leaving you
bewildered and in awe of the author's masterly narration of this short
story.
I was a bit disapponted with the Introduction by translator which gave away the endings of too many
stories. Instead of the sudden surprise at some point, these stories
now became a time bomb where I knew what was coming but was holding my
breath to delay it as much as possible.
They suck you in with grim tales of humanity, you start trusting the
character's instincts but when you are finally at rest within the
short narrative, they hit you with their darkest side leaving you
bewildered and in awe of the author's masterly narration of this short
story.
I was a bit disapponted with the Introduction by translator which gave away the endings of too many
stories. Instead of the sudden surprise at some point, these stories
now became a time bomb where I knew what was coming but was holding my
breath to delay it as much as possible.
October 1, 2018
Naked Voices is a short story collection by one of the most prolific Urdu writers Sadat Hasan Manto. It is my first read from his vast body of work. His writing style is very distinct, very much different from all the authors I have read so far. Each story is different from the other, yet they all are a mirror to the society we lived and living into this date. The stories are open-ended, with no conclusion as such, which leaves a lot of space for a reader's imagination. Some of them will make you dumbstruck, and others will make you sad, and some will raise empathy in your heart. I must admit I felt a bit of pang in my heart, for getting exposed so late to the works of such a great writer. Read him for understanding the marvel of literature and words.
February 11, 2018
In the letter, that's in this book, to his uncle Sam in America, Manto calls himself a great writer. I'm glad to know that he knew.
A great collection of short stories.
A great collection of short stories.
August 25, 2013
Good book. Has a lot of manto's short stories (around 10-15) and three sketches. But they're not the best ones. I would recommend buying "Bitter Fruit". It is more comprehensive and has Manto's best works.
And yeah, in case you buy this book or even "Bitter Fruit", don't read the introduction before the stories. It'll spoil the fun and the element of surprise. Read the introduction once you've read all the stories.
And yeah, in case you buy this book or even "Bitter Fruit", don't read the introduction before the stories. It'll spoil the fun and the element of surprise. Read the introduction once you've read all the stories.
August 31, 2016
This is the first time that I have read Manto and I must say- I missed out on one of the best short stories ever written. Though I agree that literal translation from urdu would have been difficult but the translation could have been a little better. Having finished this book in a frenzy, I can't wait to get my hands on Manto's remaining work (possibly in hindi or urdu).
November 14, 2016
This was my first book by Manto.
I have been hearing a lot about his writings being very bold and controversial in nature.
This book contains short stories and sketches and each story is deeply moving and brutally honest.
Loved the prose of every tale and looking forward to read his other books as well.
I have been hearing a lot about his writings being very bold and controversial in nature.
This book contains short stories and sketches and each story is deeply moving and brutally honest.
Loved the prose of every tale and looking forward to read his other books as well.
September 10, 2018
It's an amazing book.
Never thought short stories can have such deep impact. You see the corners of a society so clear as if you were there. Makes you question the bubble that we are forced to accept as the only world that is real.
Never thought short stories can have such deep impact. You see the corners of a society so clear as if you were there. Makes you question the bubble that we are forced to accept as the only world that is real.
Currently reading
March 28, 2013It is an introspection into what is called 'Life'. The 2nd story is a must read.
November 4, 2017
an honest book... reveals what we try to hide ...
July 7, 2015
Brilliant! Manto is a masterful writer.
July 31, 2019
gonn amazing
September 19, 2022
Amazing work!!!✨💯
September 27, 2020
You can find my review of this book on my blog:
https://mycanopyin.wordpress.com/2020...
Hope you find it helpful.
https://mycanopyin.wordpress.com/2020...
Hope you find it helpful.
January 27, 2015
thumbs up to Manto
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews