Book Review: The Illustrated Beloved City – Writings on Lahore
Published in SHE Magazine / March 2013 Edited by : Bapsi Sidhwa Reviewed by : Afrah Jamal Bapsi Sidhwa is an award winning author, essayist and playwright who recently edited an anthology that takes a sweeping view of the ‘ Paris of the East ’ which is a time traveler’s guide through Lahore based on the recollections of several narrators. The montage shows the city, a survivor of world wars, under a monarchy, occupation or Raj, between dictators, a victim of pillaging and partition, and beyond. These excursions provide wonderful snapshots of Lahore - ‘ a city of untold monuments ’ at different junctures. Their collective musings used to commemorate a great city are housed within a structured format, divided into seven parts – each holding a precious set of testimonials from various eras. It is the Lahore of yore. Kipling, Faiz, Manto and Iqbal hail passerby’s - Ismat Chughtai relives the days when her book was put on trial - Manto joins the hilarious charade. Kris...