The Weary Generations

Published in 1963, Abdullah Hussein's The Weary Generations (Udaas Naslein) was an instant bestseller in Urdu. Now beyond its fortieth edition, it has never been out of print. Hussein leads you into a story of love and marriage between two people from starkly different social backgrounds, which also mirrors uneasy 'marriage' between the British and their empire. Naim, the son of a peasant, marries Azra, the daughter of a rich landowner, and their union is doomed from the start.

Abdullah Hussein (1931-2015) became famous for his novel Udaas Naslein, which won the Adamjee Award. His other works include Baagh, Nadaar Log, Raat, Qaid and short-story collections, Nashaib and Faraib. His English novel Emigre Journeys was adapted into a feature film by BBC2 as Brothers in Trouble and established him as a fiction writer of international recognition.