Love and Revolution is the first comprehensive biography of the best-known Urdu poet of recent times, a portrait of the man behind the poetry-activist, revolutionary, family man, connoisseur of life-and a reading of his poetry in the context of his life and times. Living through the holocaust of partition, Faiz tried to make sense of it through his poetry. In the new nation of Pakistan, he played a prominent role not just as a cultural ambassador but also as a journalist, an important voice of dissent that refused to be stifled, a builder of enduring cultural institutions and an educationist. Awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan's highest civilian honour after his death, Faiz served prison terms and faced the threat of execution during his lifetime for his left leanings and outspoken criticism of the authoritarian regime. Written by Faiz's grandson, this book grants the reader privileged access to the poet through the memories of friends and family members as well as rare letters, documents and photos.
About the Author
Ali Madeeh Hashmi is a psychiatrist, writer and translator. His most recent book, What Will You Give for This Beauty? was published by Penguin Books. He is the eldest grandchild of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, a Trustee of the Faiz Foundation Trust, Pakistan, and President of Faiz Foundation Inc., USA. He lives in Lahore where he teaches and practises psychiatry.
