ABSTRACT
Qamar Rais, one of the architects of the post-Sajjad Zaheer phase of the Progressive Movement as also a prominent critic, poet, and educationist, writes about Paul’s fiction – whatever the genre – as signifying new incidents that stand as expressions of fresh experiences. In this essay he writes about Paul’s perception of truth even in everyday events and of his creative vision that seems cosmic. Rais, like some other Urdu critics, points out how Paul’s fiction discards the conventional ideas of an intriguing plot, a dramatic exposition, a startling final twist, and some unusual characters to create a different consciousness and unique aesthetic sensibility. Rais points to a couple of prose passages from Paul’s afterwords before specifically analysing several of Paul’s well-known stories such as “Dadiyan,” “Hari Kirtan,” and “Khodu Baba ka Maqbara,” among many others.
