Angarey: 9 Stories and a Play

by Vibha S. Chauhan (Translator), Khalid Alvi (Translator), Sajjad Zahir

Angarey was banned by the government of the United Provinces a few months after it was first published in 1932. Almost all the copies printed were seized and set on fire. The release of the book had been marked by protests and the government was convinced that it would offend the sensibilities of society.

Written by four young firebrands—Sajjad Zahir, Ahmed Ali, Rashid Jahan and Mahmuduzzafar—Angarey comprises nine stories and a play. ‘Heaven Assured’ pokes fun at a moulvi’s excessive piety, while ‘Masculinity’ effectively uses the interior monologue to skewer patriarchy. The stories ‘A Night of Mahavatt, the Winter Rain’ and ‘The Clouds Don’t Come’ are brilliant instances of the stream-of-consciousness technique being used to evoke an epic desolation and the uselessness of religion as a prop when faced by grinding poverty.

Angarey, the book which invited one of the earliest bans on free speech in India, and a precursor of the Progressive Writers' Movement, was re-published in Urdu in 1995. Sensitively and brilliantly translated, this is the first time that the book is being published in the English language.

Genres: Indian Literature, Short Stories, India, Banned Books, Fiction

105 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2014

Reviews

[Trinity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Absolutely amazing. I need to read this again-- preferably seven or eight more times.

[Ami 乁⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠o⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠ㄏ (written by Jane Austen) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very harrowing collection of stories, gazing into the deep underbelly of a particular religious community. And though, the collection deals solely with Islam, the situations explored here can be found in almost every organised religion.

Although, I found the collection mostly engrossing, there were moments when it became repetitive and even incomprehensible. But even so, this was a really eye-opening read for me, especially with its historical significance being what it is.

That being said, I would like to read it in the original language just to get a better understanding of the text because there are times where the translation seems to butcher the essence of it.

[Siddharth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Presumably it's the translation that's to blame for 2 of the 3 stream-of-consciousness stories appearing garbled. But most of these stories are sharp and potent expressions against religious orthodoxy and the wealthy elite. Published in 1932, it was banned in the United Provinces 4 months later for "outraging... religious feelings". 3.5 stars.

[Jummi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took it up for my Indian Progressive Writer Association course as Post graduate of Literature.

To be fair and square, Previous to opting the course, I had lesser than less knowledge of Progressive writers and the Urdu literature.

This text is a collection of 9 short stories and 1 one-act play - each resonating the fervour of author to present literature as actuality of societies - the cruelty of discrimination, duality of individual, religion sentiments and gender-class distinctions.

And the real bonus along with the translated version of this banned Urdu jewel is the brief illustrative introduction - which definitely helped a null reader of Urdu literature like me to get a real proper gist of the text and the socio-political portray of the then published year.

And a very intimate foreword, by Nadira Z Babbar, daughter of the editor and main contributor of Angarey i.e Sajjad Zahir.

[Nikhil]

This translation is unreadable. Three of the stories in the collection -- Insomnia, Clouds Don't Come, Same Uproar Once Again -- are incomprehensible as translated. This is not a case of stream-of-consciousness being difficult to read, but of factual errors in translation, missing pronouns, and incorrect identifications of the subject that ruin these texts. Moreover, the text needs footnotes. Simply transliterating Hindustani and Urdu phrases that were common in the 1930s does not lend itself comprehension even to a native Hindi speaker today, particularly since the transliterations are terrible. Unfortunately, the other English translation seems terrible as well (though in different ways).

The stories themselves, when readable, seem important and forceful. It is a shame no satisfactory translation exists.

[Pretty Little Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read #Angarey as a part of a paper I am doing on the AIPWA (All India Progressive Writers’ Association). But before I begin, I think it will be apt for me to point out certain facts about this #controversial book!
First published in 1932, in Urdu, it is a collection of 9 short stories and one play, by Sajjad Zahir, Ahmed Ali, Rashid Jahan, and Mahmuduzzafar. It talks about various social issues such as the patriarchy, the uselessness of religion as a prop when facing poverty, the hypocrisy of the men of god, class/gender/culture/religion issues, etc. Angarey, the book which invited one of the earliest bans on free speech in India, and a precursor of the Progressive Writers' Movement, was re-published in Urdu in 1995. In 2014, it was published in English for the first time.
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Therefore it is no wonder that this book was banned and almost all copies were burned. There is use of interior monologue techniques, stream-of-consciousness, and therefore the starkness of the thoughts of the characters really come through.
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I believe my favorite ones were Dulari, and Masculinity, probably because they resonated with me a lot. But that is not to say the issues that the other works deal with are light with topics such as poverty, the hypocrisy of moulvis, patriarchy, etc, This was the emergence of self-critical literature as all of these writers were Muslims and all of them critiqued their own culture, religion, and class.
However, I could not really understand the stream-of-consciousness pieces and thought that it was just me. But apparently, quite a few people have issues with the translations of these specific pieces. I would have also appreciated footnotes that delved more into the origin of various Urdu and Hindustani words, especially as a person hailing from a part of the country that did not have any direct Urdu influence. Overall it was an interesting read, and one I probably need to read again.

[Shaan K SaiDh · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, it is the worse translation I ever read. The translators just translated the work for the sake of getting it translated. They don't have the duty to fulfill the complete reading experience of the book. You will see a lot untranslated words (which of course a good thing to retain the regional flavours) without a glossary or explanation. There are a lot of Qur'anic references which are all left unexplained. Translators deserve only 2 stars.

Coming to the content, the book is of course a good work with biting sarcasm and breaking of conventional narrative structures. Each story attacks the concept of religion, especially Islam. It voices against the orthodoxy of religion, patriarchy and what not! I enjoyed reading it BUT THE BOOK REALLY DESERVE BETTER, RESPONSIBLE TRANSLATORS.

[Payal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book, originally written in Urdu in 1932, was banned by the British Raj soon after its publication and literally set on fire for being too confrontational.
The stories crack open the horrors of women and the underprivileged, especially of the Islamic community, in the pre-Independence era with a raw courage that might have been rare at the time.
But, it is the worst translation ever! Clunky phrasing, awkward transitions and sometimes just garbled words strung together.
While the historical weight of the book is undeniable, the reading experience becomes tedious as the language does not carry the sharp edges the authors originally intended.

[Khushi Yadav · Rating 3 out of 5]

The loss due to translation hinders a lot of emotions that could have been captured more deeply. However throughout the stories we get a good understanding and an even better peep into our shared past.
The banning of this work makes it even more interesting to think and dwell upon. You're compelled to read and think while doing so, trying your best to acknowledge the text and the context. Again, the thought of fiction reflecting the truth comes to your mind and the story of men, women, rich, poor, children, elders, colleagues, and classmates seems like your own.

[Tanisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angarey-cinders-heat-suffocation-fire-scorching-scars.

Beautiful short stories that map the political and psychic landscape of the zeitgeist of early twentieth century India.
Each story offers something to question and as readers they probe us to contemplate whether we are now far from the issues that the writers painstakingly highlighted? Or is the socio-political the same? Or is it even more backward than it was?

[Paridhi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d give three stars for the content. A couple of stories were hard to read because the translation was not all well done. But worth a read once.

[ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

had to read this for uni bruh

[RAM · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐1/2 stars.

[Kesu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angarey: a book that made scathing attacks on the fanaticism and hypocrisy of religious stupidity, was banned and burned in the protest.

Although it was the first translation of the archived manuscript, the motif of the Progressive Writers' Movement was later, lost in this translation, as the translators could not get the Urdu essence in most cases.

Suggested recommendation - Snehal Singhvi's translated edition of Angaaray.

[Freddie Hudson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Glad to see the train issue is universal.