INTRODUCTION
The Adventures of Amir Hamza or the Dastan-e Amir Hamza is a grand epic from the Islamic cultures of the Middle East and beyond. Rooted in the legends of valour of prophet Muhammad's uncle, Amir Hamza, the narrative attracted legends of greater and lesser heroes and became a compendium of exploits of the fictional character Amir Hamza and his companions. For the first time Western readers have a complete text from the Urdu language which cultivated this essentially oral narrative to introduce enchanted kingdoms and extra-terrestrial realms.
This is the first major translation of an Urdu classic in 300 years.
AN ARTICLE ON THE POETICS OF THE ADVENTURES OF AMIR HAMZA
Published in Annual of Urdu Studies, Vol 15, 2000.
FORTHCOMING FOREIGN LANGUAGE TRANSLATIONS
Bahasa Indonesian (Indonesia)
REVIEWS
TIME International—Nov 26, 2007
"It
's hard to think of an epic more dazzlingly splendid….Farooqi has given world literature a gift….Non-Urdu-speaking readers can at last appreciate an epic on par with anything in the Western canon. And, with luck, the classical pantheon populated by indomitable Achilles, cunning Odysseus and righteous King Arthur will now be joined by a new beloved hero: mercurial, mighty Amir Hamza, astride his winged demon steed, soaring to the heavens." –Ishaan Tharoor (READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)
THE NEW YORK TIMES—Jan 6, 2008 - Editors' Choice
"Even in translation, The Adventures of Amir Hamza is a wonder and a revelation - a classic of epic literature in an interpretation so fluent that it is a pleasure to sit down and lose oneself in it. The story line itself is endlessly diverting and inventive, and the prose of the translation is beautifully rendered...For the modern reader, The Adventures of Amir Hamza has importance beyond mere aesthetic enjoyment...At this perilous moment in history, the Hamza epic, with its mixed Hindu and Muslim idiom, its tales of love and seduction, its anti-clericalism (mullahs are a running joke throughout the book), its stories of powerful and resourceful women, and its mocking of male misogyny, is a reminder of an Islamic world the West seems to have forgotten: one that is imaginative and heterodox and as far as can be from the puritanical Wahhabi Islam that the Saudis have succeeded in spreading throughout much of the modern Middle East. - William Dalrymple (READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)
THE WASHINGTON POST—Jan 6, 2008
This sensitive new translation by Musharraf Ali Farooqi is filled with lyrical resonance, reflecting the fluidity of the spoken word...The Adventures of Amir Hamza represents a marvelous dovetailing of fantasy, history and religion. This book demonstrates the ways that colorful storytelling can be an important part of both religious texts and adventure yarns, and the way a charismatic figure may become something very like public property, capturing the popular imagination and giving storytellers a vessel for their ideas...These stories offer a glimpse into the complexities of an older world, in which blood feuds, auguries, dreams and their intricate interpretations determine motive and actions. It's a literal yet magical world, meant to instruct through diversion and history, serving up Islamic esoterica and funny old bits of wisdom...A true marvel of literary and intellectual engineering, The Adventures of Amir Hamza marks the passage of oral narrative into print and synthesizes translation, varying editions and genres into one coherent work. - Diana Abu-Jaber (READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)
داستان امير حمزہ صاحبقران
مصنفين : غالب لکھنوي، عبداللہ بلگرامی
مترجم : مشرف علی فاروقی
THE ADVENTURES OF AMIR HAMZA
By Ghalib Lakhnavi & Abdullah Bilgrami
A complete and unabridged translation by Musharraf Ali Farooqi
ISBN: 978-0812977431
992p, Random House Modern Library
http://amirhamza.blogspot.com/