The Dog of Tithwal

September 13, 2021
This sardonic collection from Manto (1912–1955), some of which appeared in previous translations in Bombay Stories, reflects the ruptures in India during the Partition. Many of the stories evoke human foibles, such as when a young man ensconced in an office pines for a woman he has only met over the phone in “Kingdom’s End,” which also pokes fun at religious concepts such as “the dominion.” The story ends on a darkly humorous note when the young man dies, after saying weeks earlier that he had been “dying to meet” the woman. The title story centers on a stray dog vacillating between a cohort of Pakistani soldiers and a cadre of Hindu soldiers positioned on two opposing hilltops, as each side attempts to secure the dog’s allegiance. In “Licence,” Abu runs a lucrative chauffeur business until he becomes enamored with Nestia, a young woman he eventually marries. Before the story ends, he’s in prison and she’s forced to give up coach driving for prostitution. Throughout, the author’s clever use of irony and dark humor speaks truth to power and to the characters’ flimsy received notions. Manto’s stories succeed as surprising reflections on the human condition.

Starred review from August 15, 2021
A celebrated Urdu writer's posthumously collected short stories illuminate the human cost and the absurdity of the India-Pakistan Partition. Manto, widely regarded as the foremost Urdu short story writer of the 20th century, writes tales of brutality, possession, and innocence. These translations of his work by Hasan and Memon illustrate the writer's ability to regard everyone--crooks, the upper class, politicians, soldiers, housewives, and prostitutes--with an eye trained on humanity. Manto's characters are forced to consider themselves anew as blood is shed and political boundaries are redrawn. The collection begins with "Kingdom's End," in which a series of seemingly random phone calls forces Manmohan to evaluate his life. "Do you like your life?" the caller asks him. He replies: "Give me a few moments....The truth is, I've never thought about it." Manto's stories often end with a twist, though, so Manmohan's self-reflection is quickly made difficult. Manto frequently takes on both the divisions created by religion and the vows that people make to each other. In "Two-Nation Theory" and "For Freedom's Sake," lovers from different backgrounds are challenged by their unsustainable promises. "As long as India does not win freedom," the husband says in the latter, "Nigar and I will live not as husband and wife but as friends." The promise becomes a problem. Occasionally Manto's purposes are more transparently allegorical, as in the title story, which succeeds in highlighting the atrocities and stupidities of war: When a stray dog crosses battle lines, soldiers on both sides debate its religion and immediately begin to torment the animal. Prostitutes are a frequent subject of Manto's stories, though their worth is generally defined through male characters' visions of their physical beauty. Each story makes Manto's argument plain: Partition divided families and identities, and yet life continued to flourish. A substantial collection from an important writer.

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