Ahmed Ali
Ahmed Ali
Ahmed Ali
Ahmed Ali (1 July 1910 in Delhi – 14 January 1994 in Karachi) (Urdu: )احمد علیwas
a Pakistani novelist, poet, critic, translator, diplomat and scholar. A pioneer of the modem Urdu short story, his works
include the short story collections: "Angaare" (Embers), 1932; Hamari Gali (Our Lane), 1940; Qaid Khana (The
Prison-house), 1942; and Maut Se Pehle (Before Death), 1945. His other writings include Twilight in Delhi (1940), his
first novel in the English language.
Biography
Born in Delhi, British India, Ahmed Ali was educated at Aligarh Muslim University and Lucknow University; in the
latter "having achieved the highest marks in English in the history of the university." From 1932 to 1946, he taught at
the leading Indian universities including Allahabad University and his alma mater in Lucknow. He also joined the
Bengal Senior Educational Service as professor and head of the English Department at Presidency College,
Calcutta (1944–47) and was the BBC's Representative and Director in India during World War II, from 1942–
45. Following that, he was the British Council Visiting Professor to Nanjing University, as appointed by the British
government of India. In 1948, when he tried to return home after the Partition, K. P. S. Menon (then India's
ambassador to China) would not allow it because Ali had not indicated his preferences as a government employee;
that is, remain in India or transfer to Pakistan. As a result, he was forced to go to Pakistan.
In 1948, he moved to Karachi. Later, he was appointed Director of Foreign Publicity for the Pakistani Government. At
the behest of Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan, he joined the Pakistan Foreign Service in 1950. According to custom,
tiles were drawn to determine the country of assignment. Ali's tile was blank, so he chose China and became
Pakistan's first envoy to the new People's Republic. He established formal diplomatic relations that same year. He also
helped to establish an embassy in Morocco.
Literary career
Ali started his literary career at a young age and became a cofounder of the All-India Progressive Writers'
Movement with the publication of Angaaray (Embers) in 1932. It was a collection of short stories in the Urdu
language and was a bitter critique of middle-class Muslim values in British India. In addition to Ali, it included stories
by three of his friends; Mahmud al-Zafar, Sajjad Zaheer and Rashid Jahan. This book was later banned by the British
Government of India in March 1933. Shortly afterward, Ali and Zafar announced the formation of a "League of
Progressive Authors", which was later to expand and become the All-India Progressive Writers' Association. Ali
presented his paper "Art Ka Taraqqi-Pasand Nazariya" (A Progressive View of Art) in its inaugural conference in
1936.
Ali achieved international fame with his first novel written in English Twilight in Delhi, which was published by
the Hogarth Press in London in 1940. This novel, as its title implies, describes the decline of the Muslim aristocracy
with the advance of the British colonialism in the early 20th century.
Al-Quran, A Contemporary Translation (Princeton University Press, Oxford University Press & Akrash Publishing) is
his most notable contribution in the field of translation. Approved by eminent Islamic scholars, it has come to be
recognized as one of the best existing translations of the holy Quran." Other languages he translated from, apart
from Arabic and Urdu, included Indonesian and Chinese.
Works
Novels
1
Plays
“When the Funeral Was Crossing the Bridge,” in Lucknow University Journal, 1929.
“Mahavaton Ki Ek Rât,” in Humayûn (Lahore), January 1931.
Angarey (1932). With Rashid Jahan, Mahmuduzzafar and Sajjad Zaheer.
Sholey (1934)
“Our Lane,” in New Writing (London), 1936.
Hamari Gali (1940)
“Morning in Delhi,” in New Writing (London), 1940.
Qaid-khana (1942)
Maut se Pahle (1945)
“Before Death,” in New Directions 15 (New York), 1956.
Prima della Morte (1966). Bilingual Italian-Urdu version of Maut se Pahle.
The Prison-House (1985)
Poetry
“Poetry: A Problem,” in Allahabad University Studies, vol. XI, no. II, 1934.
Art ka Taraqqî-Pasand Nazariya (1936)
“Maxim Gorky as a Short-Story Writer,” in Lucknow University Journal, 1938.
Mr. Eliot’s Penny-World of Dreams (1941)
Failure of an Intellect (1968)
“Illusion and Reality, the Art and Philosophy of Raja Rao,” in Journal of Commonwealth Literature, July 1968.
The Problem of Style and Technique in Ghalib (1969)
Ghalib: Two Essays (1969). With Alessandro Bausani.
The Golden Tradition: An Anthology of Urdu Poetry (1973)
Translation