Home | Books By Year | Books from 1983
Zameen (novel)
Buy Zameen (novel) now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the book. And once you've experienced the book, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
{{Infobox book
| name = Zameen
| image = Zameen(novel)Cover.jpg
| author = Khadija Mastoor
| language = Urdu
| translator = Daisy Rockwell
| country = Pakistan
| published =
| isbn = 9693505743
| caption =
| title_orig =
| orig_lang_code = ur
| set_in = Pakistan in the late 1940s
| media_type = Print (paperback)
| english_release_date =
| genre =
| dewey = 891.439371
| oclc = 14358029
| publisher = Idara-e-Farogh-e-Urdu
| location = Lahore
| genres =
| pages = 238 '(first edition)'
| congress = PK2200.K394 Z24
| isbn_note =
}}
'Zameen' , alternatively spelled 'Zamin', is an Urdu novel by Pakistani novelist and short story writer Khadija Mastoor. The novel was published posthumously by Idara-e-Farogh-e-Urdu in 1983.{{Unbulleted list|||}} Daisy Rockwell, PhD, translated it into English and released it in July 2019 under the title 'A Promised Land'. 'Zameen' depicts the economic and political upheaval that entailed the partition of British India. It begins at the final setting of Mastoor's first novel 'Aangan' the Walton refugee camp in Lahore. Consequently, it is sometimes considered an extension of 'Aangan', however, Rockwell has clarified that it is not a narrative sequel, rather a philosophical and thematic follow-up.{{Unbulleted list||}} It is considered a political allegory and a women-centric historical account of Pakistan's independence.
Characters
'Zameen' main characters are:
* Sajida the intelligent protagonist. After migrating to Pakistan, she lives with her father at a refugee camp.
* Nazim a Department of Rehabilitation official at the camp who insists Sajida to live at his home with him and his family
* Saleema a passionate student, Nazim's female cousin
* Kazim Nazim's amoral and feudalistic brother
Reception
Critic and fiction writer Muhammad Ahsan Farooqi found the novel rich in Mastoor's style of dialogue writing and exposition. Writing about 'Zameen' in his essay "" he said, "Where she has used other literary devices to develop the story and the characters against a specific backdrop, she has also taken great care of speech and style." Farooqi compared her storytelling skill to that of Jane Austen. cited in
In his book, Muhammad Naseem said that the author had presented the issues of the establishment of Pakistan and the migration with impartiality and skill. She has very well represented the feelings of a woman. Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi wrote in his article, "The way 'Aangan' Aaliya and 'Zameen' Sajida dominate their environment, could it be Khadija's own personality trait? But in my opinion, even more than her personality, it is Khadija's subconscious desire to see the woman dignified, which is embodied in Aaliya and Sajida."{{Unbulleted list||}}
Shaista Hameed attested that the author wrote "every single line of her novels with blood, sweat, and tears". The novel is considered a specimen of her skill of making prose memorable, without being idealistic or mixing lies in it.
Reviewing 'A Promised Land' in 'Dawn', Asif Farrukhi called 'Zameen' a "neglected novel", while 'Scroll.in' called it "Khadija Mastur's neglected masterpiece" when it republished the article. Lalitha Subramanian noted in the 'Deccan Herald' the absence of biterness towards India and recommending the novel to Indian readers, appreciated the Pakistani author's regard for Mahatma Gandhi.
References
Buy Zameen (novel) now from Amazon
<-- Return to books from 1983