New Delhi: Urdu writer Mohsin Khan’s debut novel, ‘Allah Miyan Ka Karkhana’, has celebrated its first English translation by renowned translator and poet Moaz Bin Bilal, publisher HarperCollins India has announced.
“Allah Miyan’s Workshop” is scheduled to be released on June 23, and is a story about childhood and its troubles that is at once “humorous, tender and insightful.”
The novel takes place in the village of Awad, and tells the story of 14-year-old Gibran, a curious and mischievous boy whose conservative father wants him to work in a mosque. His peaceful childhood was shattered when his father was arrested on suspicion of involvement in terrorism.
In the face of loss, separation, and uncertainty, Gibran turns to his imagination for refuge and hope.
Originally published in Urdu, the book is, according to the translator, a universal and Indo-Islamic tale of childhood, its joys and its troubles.
“It immediately drew me in with its emotional roller coaster, and the curious, skeptical and innocent protagonist, Gibran, who has a unique narrative voice.
“The social and political turmoil of our time also provides an important backdrop to the novel, a turmoil that is difficult for many of us to escape from in our time,” said Bilal, who also translated Mirza Ghalib’s novel Chirag Der into English.
According to commissioning editor Renita Banerjee, the book is a story of “boundless love, fear, pain and wonder,” all of which come to life in Bilal’s luminous English translation.
She added: “Like Gibran’s kites, they become something worth appreciating. ‘Warsha Allah Miyan’ is perhaps one of the best translated works of Urdu literature, which we at HarperCollins are pleased to present to readers next June. Read it.”
The Hindi translation of the song “Allah Miyan ka Karkhana” won the inaugural Bank of Baroda award in 2023. Khan also won awards for the radio plays “Khvaabon ki Taabeer” and “Kaisi Kaisi Majbooriyan” at the All India Radio’s National Multilingual Play Competitions in two different years.
This article was generated from an automated news feed without any modifications to the text.
