English readers have loved Russian classic writers, the French naturalists, and the Latin American greats without even bothering to know th...
English readers have loved Russian classic writers, the French naturalists, and the Latin American greats without even bothering to know the names of their English translators. The Translator’s Invisibility, the famous title of Lawrence Venuti’s 1995 book, can best represent the outstanding effort of Surinder Deol in making Gopi Chand Narang’s exposition of the history, beauty, and formal intricacies of the ghazal a memorable affair and yet remaining unsung.
A writer himself, who has written a literary biography of Sahir Ludhianvi titled Sahir: A Literary Portrait, and ably translated Gopi Chand Narang’s famous study Ghalib: Innovative Meanings and the Ingenious Mind, Deol does even better in this book in preserving not only the analytical style of Narang’s prose but also the poetic effervescence of the ghazal form.
The Urdu Ghazal is a celebration of India’s composite culture. At a time when truth is being economised, history is being rewritten, and some histories are being deleted, Narang’s book makes an important intervention in the debates over what constitutes India’s culture and what strands enrich it.
The ghazal poetry that we have enjoyed in exuberant poetic gatherings, warm family get-togethers and Hindi films is undoubtedly the most important artistic manifestation of India’s composite culture. It may have had its origin in Arabic and,...