Ghalib In Translation
O P Kejariwal
UBSPD
xi+200 pages, Rs 375
Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib remains the most popular of Urdu poets, not only among connoisseurs of poetry but also among translators. This 19th century all-time great poet-philosopher continues to inspire translators, as much as ghazal singers, filmmakers and dramatists. Quite naturally so.
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Contemporary literary criticism often compares him favourably with masters of the verse such as Shakespeare and Goethe. And, within the Indian literary tradition, he stands alongside greats of the order of Kalidas and Kabir. More important, his personal stock continues to soar even as his language continues to fight a losing political battle. So, he has a ready, and rapidly growing, market.
But, why Ghalib? After all, Urdu has produced several other greats. Indeed, why not Mir, Dard, Momin, Zafar, Dagh, Hali, Chakbast, or even Firaq? The answer might appear obvious to Urduwallahs but, for readers of translations, it is always instructive to write a comparative assessment. O P Kejariwal refrains from doing so in his just-released translation of Ghalib