Saadat Hasan Manto
PakistanAbout
Saadat Hasan Manto (1912–1955) was one of the most influential short-story writers in Urdu literature. Born in Punjab under British rule, he began his career as a translator before working as a journalist, playwright, and screenwriter in Bombay’s film industry. His writing explored the lives of society’s outsiders, including sex workers, struggling artists, and people living on the margins of urban life. The 1947 Partition of British India profoundly affected him. Having lived in Bombay, Manto moved with his family to Lahore, Pakistan, where he wrote some of his most powerful stories about communal violence, displacement, and the absurdity of religious divisions. His unflinching depictions of sexuality and human cruelty led to several obscenity trials. Although he died at just 42, his work remains celebrated for its dark humour, psychological insight, and uncompromising humanity.
