Rohan Kamicheril on Godavari by Fahmida Riaz

By Rohan Kamicheril — Published on December 7, 2009

The book that comes immediately to mind is Fahmida Riaz’s Urdu novella Godavari. The book has been widely praised in the original, but despite the valiant efforts of advocates like Muhammad Umar Memon and Faruq Hassan (who has translated a portion for the Annual of Urdu Studies), it has yet to make the transition in its entirety into English. Words Without Borders published Riaz’s “Pink Pigeons: Was it They Who Won,” in our Pakistan issue of June 2009, and I strongly urge any reader unfamiliar with her work to read this remarkable piece. The glimpse that we get of Godavari in Faruq Hassan’s fine rendition makes one hope that the stars align so that English-language readers may soon have access to more work from Riaz.

Rohan Kamicheril is an editor with Words Without Borders.

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• Rohan Kamicheril on Godavari by Fahmida Riaz