Saadat Hasan Manto

Saadat Hasan Manto was a Pakistani writer, playwright and author born in Ludhiana, who was active in British India and later, after the 1947 partition of India, in Pakistan. Writing mainly in Urdu, he produced 22 collections of short stories, a novel, five series of radio plays, three collections of essays and two collections of personal sketches. His best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. He is best known for his stories about the partition of India, which he opposed, immediately following independence in 1947. Manto's life, like the fiction written by him, was not only interesting but also brief. Living only up to 42 years, 8 months, and 4 days, Manto, spent most of it on his own terms living with the least care possible. He was restless in nature and had a rebellious spirit. He was expelled from Aligarh Muslim University for alleged tuberculosis and later got addicted to alcohol and gambling. He started his literary career as a translator and then became an editor of various magazines and newspapers. He also wrote scripts and dialogues for several films, including Mirza Ghalib and Shikari. He moved to Bombay in 1935 and then to Lahore in 1948 after the partition. He faced many trials for obscenity in his writings, but was never convicted. He suffered from financial difficulties and poor health in his last years. He died of liver cirrhosis on 18 January 1955 at the age of 42.