Customer Reviews

The Adventures of Amir Hamza (Modern Library Classics)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is delightfully written as a translation from the Urdu text. As I read, it has the flowery descriptiveness of the old Urdu stories, leaving me with a feeling as if I was reading an Urdu book. It is well written, is interesting and the story is captivating. This book is one to keep in your personal library and pass on as a gift to family members. As our Urdu language seems to be withering away maybe this will preserve the stories if not the language itself. The author has done a wonderful job !!

As someone who has read the Urdu kid's version of the Dastanay Mir Humza by Maqbool Jahangir I think this translation is prettier. His prose is stunningly beautiful. I remember when I was in college- an English major at that time, I happened to read an English translation of Sohrab and Rustum and in that too the prose was absolutely beautiful. So I have a theory that Farsi and old urdu translated into English makes for beautiful prose.

When I was reading the kid's Urdu version by Maqbool Jahangir I was like these books must be for boys with all the "jungs" (battles) and the machismo of the heroes.

Anyway I thank Farooqi for translating this. It's such a pleasure to read this instead of the other two trends in work that is coming from Pakistani writers. One trend is the Jamatay Islami conspiracy theories type books that puts whoever reads them in a bad mood and the other trend is the very embarrassing novels about messed up people doing strange inappropriate things that you can't share with other people. This translation introducing us to the beauty and exoticism inherent in that culture is a great change and I hope Farooqi will be translating more Urdu literary works for us.

This book is also great to give as a present.

Musharraf Farooqi has done a great service to both Urdu and English literature by translating this all-time classic. It really captivates you so much that once you start reading it, you want to read more and more and that makes finishing this book much quicker than you anticipate. You never lose interest and find yourself taken back to the ancient times Arabia and Persia. The intensity and depth of imagination is amazing and I found it much more interesting and fascinating than Harry Potter or any other book of fiction that I ever read. I hope the translator will keep up his good efforts and translate more of Urdu classics (like Tilsim-e-Hoshruba).

Good job Mr. Farooqi, and many thanks!

Having read the Urdu version (Das'taa'n'ae' Amir Hamza) by Maqbool Jahangir during my pre-teen years, I found the English Version to be very interesting and sweet. The funny episodes are still there. The prose is rich but requires concentration to connect the dots. The friendship of Amir and his friends is a reminder of the value of friendship and how it impacts one's life. There are many other lessons in this fairy tale like journey, but all in all it's an entertaining read.

As I galloped through this voluminous book, I could feel the affection, the association and the special reverence the translator held for the characters in this magical saga. It must have required a lot of persistence and effort to translate this brilliant piece of work for the non-Urdu speaking readers. The adventures cover the entire world and the reader can easily sit down and lose herself in the "magic filled heroic saga".

It is very clever of the original writer to choose long names for his characters. The names leave the reader with a lasting image. For the true fans of the Das'taan(Adventures), it is real hard to forget the names. To assist the readership, at the end, a chapter is devoted to the list of characters, historic figures, deities, and mythical beings. The list describes the meaning of each name and its relevance.

The print is small to keep the number of pages down (perhaps), but each chapter is loaded with funny episodes, rich culture, poetical ballads and interactions that bring smile to one's face. Each chapter covers a story but the reader craves for the next episode. The adventures are a collection of Four Books. I am enjoying my journey through the first one. I have a long way to go but hopefully the colorful, playful and beautiful rendition will continue to make the remaining journey entertaining.

In short, it's pure entertainment.

Hopefully, some day someone will care to make a nice series out of this giving the readership a flavor of an Indo-Persian "Lord of the Rings".

Musharraf Ali Farooqi has done a great service to the literary community by this translation. Books like this and "Tilism-e-hosh ruba" rival, and in many ways are better than, the likes of Lord of the rings and Harry Potter in the richness of characters and the story line. A carefully translated work, such as this, can go a long way to introduce the immense Urdu literary tradition to the English speaking audience. Farooqi sahib hats off to you for your hard work and perseverance, hopefully you will continue your good work and translate some more gems.

I finally finished reading the more than 900 pages and am slowly returning to contemporary life. The beheadings and halvings of infidels was getting a little too much, and the donations of robes of honor turned into a choking mass, but the whole is very very endearing.