Book Launch Beloved Delhi by Saif Mahmood

Описание: Urdu poetry rules the cultural and emotional landscape of much of India and Pakistan. And it was in the great ancient city of Delhi that Urdu grew to become one of the World's most beautiful and supple languages. Through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries while the Mughal empire was in spectacular decline, Delhi became the Capital of a parallel Kingdom - the Kingdom of Urdu poetry, producing some of the greatest, most popular poets of all times. They wrote about the pleasure and pain of love, about the splendour of God and the villainy of preachers, about the seduction of wine and about Delhi, their beloved home. This book documents the life and work of the finest classical Urdu poets of Delhi : Sauda, Dard, Mir, Ghalib, Momin, Zauq, Zafar and Daagh. Through their biographies and poetry - including their best-known ghazals - it also paints a compelling portrait of Mughal Delhi. This is a book for anyone who has ever been touched by Urdu or Delhi, by poetry or romance. The book, which was recently launched in India by Vice President Hamid Ansari (in Delhi) and Naseeruddin Shah (in Mumbai) is already a bestseller and comes with heavy commendations from some of the tallest names in literature including Zia Mohyeddin and Shamim Hanfi.

About the Author:
Dr. Saif Mahmood is the author of the bestseller Beloved Delhi : A Mughal City and Her Greatest Poets (Speaking Tiger, 2018). He is a poetry and literature critic, commentator, translator and rights activist. An Advocate of the Supreme Court of India, holding a doctorate in Constitutional Law in South Asia, he frequently appears before Superior Courts in India as well as in international and domestic tribunals. An itinerant traveller, a bohemian raconteur and a globetrotting dreamer with his heart in poetry and mind in law, Saif speaks and writes on diverse issues, ranging from law to literature and is associated with a number of academic, legal, professional, and literary organizations around the world. He is a leading South Asian name in the literary world and globally known for enthralling audiences with his passionate recitations, especially of such progressive and contemporary poets as Faiz, Majaz, Sahir and Jaun Elia. Founder of South Asian Alliance for Literature, Art & Culture (SAALARC), Saif is a frequent face in literary events and television discussions and regularly speaks on varied platforms the world over. His works have appeared in various prestigious publications and his English translations of Urdu poets have been applauded the world over.