لاهور في قصص غلام عباس .. قصتي" اوور کوٹ: المعطف" و " کتبه: اللافتة" نموذجًا

Lahore in the stories of Ghulam Abbas: two stories auwwarkaūt and katbah

Abstract

Every writer has his or her narrative world, or distinct circle. It may be so broad or limited, but this does not matter as the success of the author draws on his or her talent and skill in presenting his or her art within this circle. This should be attained meticulously. Ghulam Abbas relied on his local environment while choosing his world of narration and his circle revolves around the city of Lahore, where he grew up witnessing its joys, sorrows, victories, and setbacks. With outstanding skill, he depicted its problems and cares for its people. Out of this local milieu, he attained worldwide fame through the extreme locality.

In this respect, he resembles the Egyptian Najib Mahfouz, whose stories and novels took place inside the city of Cairo. The most prominent element in the stories of Ghulam Abbas is shedding light on the city’s cruelty to its people, especially the working class who show contrary to what they hide and try to coexist with that painful reality. This is evident through the “auwwarkaūt” and “katbah” stories. His stories also highlight the image of city life, crowds, high-rise buildings, buying and selling in the city hub, the image of street vendors over bridges, traffic, and jamming during rush hours of employees. The psychological state experienced by the residents of the city is depicted, too. Also handled are the crowded city, the psychological pressures on the simple employees, and the class disparity among the city's people, where the poor aspire to live on a level close to the rich of the city, but no way.. never