It was in mid 2010 that Pakistan Progressive Writers Association decided to celebrate the year 2011 as the centennial of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and appealed to the literary organisations, lovers and admirers of Faiz to join the celebrations as they deem proper. The response was far more than one could have expected. Apart from seminars, literary and cultural functions there appeared a flood of books on various aspects of Faiz's life.
The book under review has a significance as the sub-title of the book suggests "some hidden aspects of the multifaceted personality of Faiz Ahmed Faiz". Malik has justified his claim. He has the capacity to do so. He had close relations with Faiz as a family friend, a publisher of Faiz's first collection of poetry "Naqush-e-Faryadi" and a political fellow traveller.
There are 13 chapters including Faiz as a trade unionist, in Lahore Fort torture camp, as conspirator poet. Malik informs about Faiz's trade union activities how Faiz used to run study circles for workers to raise their socio-political consciousness. Another important information is about the terms of Nikah, drafted by Allama Iqbal for MD Taseer and adopted by Faiz and Alice. The peculiarity of the terms was the condition for husband to have one wife and the right of divorce given to the wife. At the time of marriage Faiz was penniless and had to borrow Rupees 300 from Mian Iftikharuddin to buy wedding ring for Alice.
It would be a news for many that Faiz while teaching in a college wanted to do his PHD Modern Urdu poetry as a subject, but was not allowed by Punjab University. The synopsis indicates the loss inflicted by PU by depriving the Urdu a valuable research. Malik has not used the book for personal projection, rather he has concentrated on bringing forth the multi-dimensions of Faiz's personality. For that purpose he has reproduced many writings on different aspects. Most important piece is Alice's interview, which encompasses the family and social life with Faiz. The trials they had to go through. There are two editorials written by Faiz, their importance is self evident. The first one is the editorial titled 'Spy Ring' publishes in Pakistan Times of September 4, 1947. The other one is on Toba Takesingh Kisan Conference, Published in Lailo Nahar Karachi of March 26, 1970. Faiz emphasises that huge public gatherings would bring no change by themselves. They cannot be an alternative to a continuous movement or an organisation.
Rauf Malik's book depicts an over all picture of the socio-political conditions of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's times, their impact on Faiz's thought and action and Faiz's impact on thinking and literature, along with other fields, of his times. In short the book contributes in understanding Faiz immensely.
==========================================================
Book: Faiz Shinasai
Author: Abdur Rauf Malik
Publisher : Pakistan Study Centre University of Karachi
==========================================================