Granta magazine, a literary publication based in the UK, publishes quarterly collections of short stories and literary journalism. For its upcoming issue, Granta: Pakistan, editor John Freeman’s attention was taken by a 79-year-old retired civil servant named Jamil Ahmad, who worked for years as an official near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and had never been published before. His story in the Granta Collection, “The Sins of the Mother,” was described by a reviewer in the UK’s Independent as a “stunning story of illicit love.”
Various imprints of the major publishing house Penguin will be publishing Ahmad’s collection of short stories, The Wandering Falcon.
With all our attention to the arts lately in aging in action, it’s exciting to see that the literary world is delivering the perspective of an older person from Pakistan. While the reviews have drawn attention to the legitimately exciting story of a 79-year-old being published for the first time, the reviewers have noted Ahmad’s skill rather than treating him as a mere novelty.
The Granta collection: http://www.granta.com/Magazine/112
Sources:
Arifa Akbar (2010), book review “Granta 112: Pakistan.” The Independent, September 17, 2010. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/granta-112-pakistan-edited-by-john-freeman-2081186.html
Benedicte Page, thebookseller.com, September 13, 2010. http://www.thebookseller.com/news/128302-prosser-buys-compelling-collection-of-pakistani-stories.html
The Economist, September 18, 2010.
