“Very few people are familiar with Urdu literature, even through poetry. There were forms such as the qasida — used to praise someone or a marsiya, a song of sorrow that have faded out,” he say ...

A Story of Love and Connection in Ten Songs by John Harris; Martina Evans on the best new poetry; John Boyne on Fair Play by Louise Hegarty; Adam Wyeth on Gary Lightbody’s The Forest is the Path ...

Death is a weighty theme in Urdu poetry that embodies sorrow related to loss and the mysteries of the afterlife. Poets like Mirza Ghalib, Jaun Elia, Allama Iqbal, and Parveen Shakir have expressed ...