Muhammad Ali Samejo (Author of The Special)
‘My recent read is ‘Wolf Hall’ by Hilary Mantel, a historical fiction set in Tudor England under Henry VIII. Its biggest attraction is the POV of Thomas Cromwell, his humble origins and dramatic rise to power. The prose reflected Cromwell as a man with divine purpose, as well as his loves and losses that transformed him into the force of nature history remembers him for. A slow but rewarding read, rich in depth and character’
Furqan Ali (Journalist, Editor and the founder of the Dead Poets Society of Pakistan)
‘The 7th-century theologian Maximus the Confessor said that language is the symbol of the soul’s cognitive energy. On one hand, it is the medium through which our thoughts are shaped, and on the other, it works as an intermediary between thinking beings. Albeit, this bridge is not always well-built because of so many reasons; colonial hangover being the foremost, at least in Pakistan. I, a 24-year-old boy, can only read and write in English, speak fluently in Urdu, and am unable to read, write, or speak in my mother tongue (Hindko) or lingua franca (Pushto); further, like any other ‘good Muslim,’ I can read Arabic as well without understanding anything. This lingual dysmorphia is not an individual’s failure; rather, this is a systemic disaster that our government should be held accountable for. And this whole problematization, along with solutions, is the subject of Anjum Altaf’s book “Critical Reflections on the Single National Curriculum and the Medium of Instruction’
Taha Kehar (Novelist and Editor of Tales of Karachi)
‘Andre Aciman’s Room on the Sea offers a poignant meditation on forbidden love without resorting to static stereotypes. Unencumbered by the cage of morality or the sinuous plot twists readers have come to expect from such narratives, this spare, tightly woven novel presents layered observations on the intricate matters of the heart. Aciman doesn’t shy away from the mundane, which makes this a realistic, compelling work of fiction’
