Between Clay and Dust - Softcover

Musharraf Ali Farooqi

Softcover

ISBN 10: 8192328015 ISBN 13: 9788192328010

Publisher: ALEPH BOOK COMPANY PRIVATE LIMITED, 2018

Synopsis

Musharraf Ali Farooqi s new novel, set in an unnamed Pakistani city shortly after Partition, unravels the lives of Ustad Ramzi, one of the greatest wrestlers of the land, who is now old and warmed only by the memories of his past, and the equally renowned Gohar Jan, a courtesan whose kotha once welcomed lords of the land but is now in danger of being shut down. Through the course of this book we witness Ustad Ramzi s almost fanatical devotion to his craft and his akhara, and the attempts of his younger brother Tamami also a wrestler to rise from the towering shadow of Ustad Ramzi. We witness, also, the unusual, unspoken bond that grows between the celibate wrestler and the elegant courtesan, both past their prime. Spare, haunting and exquisitely written, Between Clay and Dust is a remarkably original offering from a novelist working at the height of his powers.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Ustad Ramzi was once the greatest wrestler in the land, famed for his strength and unmatched technique. Young apprentices flocked to his akhara to learn his craft, fans adored him, and rival wrestling clans feared his resolve that would never admit defeat. The courtesan Gohar Jan was just as renowned. Celebrated throughout the country for her beauty and the power of her singing, her kotha was thronged by nobles, rich men, and infatuated admirers.

Musharraf Ali Farooqi’s latest novel presents these extraordinary characters in the twilight of their lives. Their skills are no longer what they once were, new challengers to their eminence have risen, and the adoring crowds and followers are long gone. An immense catastrophe has laid waste to the country; its new inheritors have no time for the old ways. Stripped of their resources and their old powers, Ustad Ramzi and Gohar Jan must face their greatest challenge yet. Powerful and haunting, Between Clay and Dust is a triumph of storytelling and a poignant exploration of love, honour, redemption, and the strength that great souls find to go on when all is lost.

Available for the first time in Canada, Between Clay and Dust was a finalist for the Man Asian Literary Prize.

About the Author

Musharraf Ali Farooqi was born in 1968 in Hyderabad, Pakistan, and currently lives in Karachi. His previous novel, The Story of a Widow, was shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2010. He is also the highly acclaimed translator of Urdu classics Hoshruba and The Adventures of Amir Hamza, contemporary Urdu poet Afzal Ahmed Syed s selected poetry and Urdu writer Syed Muhammad Ashraf s novel The Beast. His children s fiction includes The Amazing Moustaches of Moochhander the Iron Man and Other Stories and the picture book The Cobbler s Holiday or Why Ants Don t Wear Shoes.

Edition details

• Publisher: ALEPH BOOK COMPANY PRIVATE LIMITED
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 8192328015
• ISBN 13: 9788192328010
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 216