KARACHI: Eminent critic Dr Nasir Abbas Nayyar gave a lecture on `The Urdu Novel`s Nonexistence in Global Scenario: Truth or Figment of Imagination` at the Arts Council of Pakistan on Friday evening.

Mr Nayyar began his talk, which was relayed live on social media, by remembering Ngugi wa Thiong`o, the Kenyan writer who died on May 28. He said Global South has lost a big author, who all his life tried to present the case of Global South in front of Global North.

Quoting Mr Thiong`o, he said the present is born out of the power plays of the past. The critic in order to elucidate the topic explained three terms, the first of which was what the `Urdu novel` means or stands for.

He told the audience it was in 1862 that the first Urdu novel Khat-i-Taqdeer by Maulvi Karimuddin was published (although some think it was Miratul Uroos). From that time onwards, 3,500 novels by 1,100 authors have been published. Secondly, the Urdu novel couldn`t be discussed without its colonial perspective since it saw the light of day during colonial times. Thirdly, the Urdu novel has gone through three popular phases: first, at the end of the 19th century when novels were written in Lucknow and Delhi; second, post-1947; and third, the contemporary phase.

Dr Nayyar said the word `existence` has the ostensible meaning of physical presence, but there is another meaning which is to do with existence in our consciousness or as part of our experiences. It enables it to enter discursive space.

He said the phrase global scenario needs to be extrapolated. `I don`t think that global scenario is the opposite of local scenario. There`s a slight difference between the two. Local scenario is place-oriented whereas global scenario is space-oriented. Place has a physical boundary, and space has a lot of ideological involvement. Global scenario [as it is today] hasn`t become a space where all the languages of the world could find their presence.

Instead, it`s become an ideological space with a system of hierarchies. It is more exclusive than inclusive. To be specific, global scenario is American and European scenario and those outside of that sphere are `the other`.

Dr Nayyar mentioned a few examples starting with the Booker Prize. `It was instituted in 1969 for the writers of Commonwealth nations. In 2014 it was expanded to other parts of the world but some conditions remained the same, such as it would be given to a novel written in English published by a UK or Ireland-based publisher.

Similarly, the Pulitzer Prize is for American writers.

Then the Nobel prize has been given to 121 individuals out of which between 25 and 30 are non-Western.

The scholar shifting his focus to the Urdu novel`s significance and misconceptions about it, for example, it has not been translated enough, said it`s not right.

Novels in Urdu have been translated in a big number.

He also talked about the politics of the literary canon.

`We can`t say that the Urdu novel is a failure. It has been read a lot in our part of the world.

Praising some top-notch novels he took names of Aag Ka Darya, Udas Naslein, Bahao and Basti, among others.

Trying to find out why the Urdu novel has not had a global reach, Dr Nayyar said the Urdu novel is, to date, attached to the qissa which has a larger than life hero.

`In the novel, there is no hero; it has a protagonist.

Also, he argued, `The Urdu novel stays away from raising questions.

Poetess Zehra Nigah, who presided over the event, lauded the lecture. She in a lighter vein spoke about the frequency with which she presides events at the council.-Dawn Report