Abstract:

This essay by Syed Khalid Qadri presents a deeply personal and nuanced portrait of the renowned Urdu writer Awaz Sayeed, examining both his literary style and his complex personality. Through recollections of their friendship and shared literary circles, Qadri highlights Awaz Sayeed’s reserved nature, his wit, and his penchant for irony and sarcasm in personal interactions, which contrasts with the economy and brevity that characterise his celebrated short stories.

Qadri describes Awaz Sayeed as a writer who embraced the evolving forms and tones of Urdu fiction with an open mind, distinguishing himself from his contemporaries by his adaptability and willingness to experiment. Influenced by literary giants such as Manto, Ghulam Abbas, and Bedi, Awaz Sayeed’s stories are characterised by objectivity, subtle observation, and a quest for the hidden narratives within everyday people. Yet, Qadri notes the paradox that, while Sayeed’s fiction is concise and measured, his conversation in private could be elaborate and winding, revealing the contradictions within his personality.

The essay also touches on Sayeed’s honesty, integrity, and self-restraint, both in his professional life and literary pursuits. He is portrayed as a self-reliant writer who shunned the pursuit of fame and literary politics, earning recognition solely through his talent. Qadri’s reminiscences paint Awaz Sayeed as a man drawn to complex, even mysterious individuals, always searching for stories beneath the surface of ordinary lives. The narrative is enriched with anecdotes about their mutual friends, literary gatherings, and Sayeed’s idiosyncrasies—such as his dependence on cigarettes and his aversion to dogs—which serve to humanise the celebrated author.

Overall, the essay is both a tribute and a critical appreciation, offering insight into Awaz Sayeed’s distinctive literary style—marked by brevity, psychological depth, and subtle irony—as well as his personal virtues and quirks, as seen through the eyes of a close friend and fellow writer.

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