Jump to content
Linguaholic

Umrao Jaan Ada by Mirza Hadi Ruswa


Meera

Recommended Posts

He wrote in Urdu, but I consider Hindi/Urdu to be pretty much the same since they only really diffir in higher vocabulary. I haven't read any of his poems, but through blood sweat and tears I got through Umrao Jaan. To be honest it was such a difficult book to read, especially since the Urdu script is hard to make out sometimes. But Umrao jaan ada, I think is one of the best novels I have ever read. The writting style is fantastic and nothing feels contrived and I liked how there really were no twists or over the top drama that so many books even in English have. The whole novel feels like Umrao Jaan is sitting there with you telling her story. The only problem I had with this novel is it was confusing knowing when it was Mirza himself narrating or when it was Umrao Jaan. But the novel is fantastic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Center Script Content

You can find the Urdu and translation on this site:

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00urdu/umraojan/index.html

However the translation doesn't make sense a lot of times. If you want to read the book in English I suggest reading the translated version by David Matthews:

http://www.amazon.com/Umrao-Mirza-Muhammad-Hadi-Rusva/dp/8171673112/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381341388&sr=8-1&keywords=Umrao+Jaan+ada

It is by far the best translation I have come across so far.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...