Faruqui Shamsur Rehman

Acclaimed writer Shamsur Rahman Faruqi was one of the most influential critics and scholars of modern Urdu literature. For many years, he edited and published the highly regarded literary journal Shabkhoon, which played a significant role in shaping contemporary Urdu literary thought. His monumental scholarly works include a four-volume study of the great poet Mir Taqi Mir and an equally ambitious four-volume exploration of the vast Urdu oral romance, Dastan-e Amir Hamza. Faruqi was awarded the Saraswati Samman in 1996 for his outstanding contribution to Urdu literature. He was also an acclaimed novelist: The Mirror of Beauty, originally published in Urdu as Ka’i Chand the Sar-e Aasman (pub. 2006), received widespread praise and introduced another dimension to his remarkable literary career. In recognition of his distinguished contribution to literature, he was also honoured with the Padma Shri.