The Tradition of Urdu Short Story

Abstract

In the beginning, the domain of Urdu literature seemed empty, except for a few tales or stories. In the first half of the twentieth century, under the influence of the West, a new genre was introduced: the short story (Afsana). This article will discuss the tradition of the Urdu short story.

Before the partition of India, the main themes of Urdu short stories were freedom and progressivism. After the partition, themes such as the pain of migration and the horrors of communal riots began to emerge in Urdu short stories.

Modern short stories have psychologically portrayed mental crises and intellectual unrest. The mechanical age has neglected human emotions, resulting in inner social suffocation and the dominance of loneliness. Social oppression has also influenced the tradition of the Urdu short story. The intellectual struggle and sense of isolation depicted in Urdu short stories can also be products of imagination.

Modern Urdu short stories have deviated from conventional storytelling. Overall, the brief tradition of the short story— spanning nearly a century—has passed through various thematic and narrative stages to reach its present form.