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My interest in Manto arose when I came across his essay, ‘Why I write’. I am among those people who like to research the authors because it gives more character and context to their work. When I googled Manto, the algorithms threw a myriad of things in front of me. There was a list of his books, his ‘controversial’ statements, his alleged relationship with Chugtai etc. This got me intrigued and I decided to read his work. But unfortunately, as it happens with every bibliophile, this desire to read Manto got buried under my large TBR pile.
Last Sunday, when I went out shopping for books, I chanced upon a collection of short stories by Manto and I immediately grabbed it. Here are the reasons why you MUST read Manto:
CHARACTERS: My favorite thing about Manto’s writing is his characters. His protagonists are not heroes, in fact, they are what could call anti-heroes. They are murderers, thieves, prostitutes, pimps etc. His writing gives us glimpses of their lives, their thought process, how similar or different they are from people leading normal lives, their problems etc. In popular discourse, these characters are always shown in a white and black space. Manto brings forth the grey areas, hence it is refreshing to read their stories in a different narrative.
SPECTRUM OF WRITING: Although I read only 38 short stories written by him, it gave me a peek into the wide spectrum under which his writings fall. There are stories about newfound and growing love, then there are heart-wrenching stories of separation. Some stories explore the topic of partition and how it impacted people’s lives. There is a sharp critique of society’s order. The stories also show the influence of political discourse prevailing at that time. He has explored subjects which are less talked about.
LANGUAGE: Manto is a master storyteller. He has used imagery, metaphors, and symbolism to enhance the plot of the story. The prose is lyrical and evocative. I especially loved how he has written about prostitution and sex without sensationalizing it or making it vulgar. You will fall in love with his witty writing.
PLOTS: The plots of all the short stories are interesting since the stories are about unconventional characters and settings. The stories keep you hooked till the end. The endings, however, are an absolute delight since they are not definite and open to interpretation, so they leave you with some food for thought.
Have you read Manto? Did you like his writing? Tell me in comments.
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Ravneet Kaur 