Saifuddin Saif’s book presented in entertaining style

Islamabad: Robina Shaista’s book ‘Shair-e-Kujkulah’ is actually a commendable addition to his MPhil thesis on Saifuddin Saif presenting an entertaining story and perspective on the famous poet.

This book is an excellent resource to students, educators, and poetry enthusiasts. In writing this book, the principal criteria the author has resorted to is to include content, organization, and reference source. The different aspects of poet’s personality have been highlighted. In writing this book the author has benefitted from various sources. After having interviewed Saif’s contemporaries and his family members, first-hand information about the poet’s life has been included in the book.

These first-hand accounts provide deeper insight into what, in some books, is just a listing of factual information about the poet. The book shows the detailed progression of the poetic journey of Saifuddin Saif. The conditions that led the poet to generating ‘ghazals’ and ‘filmi’ songs (available only in audio and video cassettes) and the circumstances that made it possible for him, have all been aptly disclosed in the book.

The tone of the book reflects a learned appreciation for the marvel of Saifuddin Saif’s poetry. In this regard, the poet’s both published and unpublished writings have been consulted. The organization of his poetic history allows the reader to easily follow the evolution of his creativeness. The book also reveals fresh information about Saif’s friends.

While it was impossible to thoroughly explore all the themes related to Saif’s poetry, the detailed autobiographical account of the poet provides sources for obtaining more information. The construction of the book meshes well with its organization and lends itself successfully to the study of different time periods in the history of Saif’s poetic flight.

The book has been divided into four chapters. The first chapter deals with the poet’s life and personality. The third chapter deals with ‘nazms’ of the poet and the fourth deals with Saif’s songs.

Each chapter is broken down into four sections, which typically fit logically into the topic of the chapter. All chapters are composed of several defining parts that maintain a sense of continuity throughout the volume.

Two appendixes have also been added at the end of the book. The first appendix deals with Saif’s “other kind” of poetry and the second appendix deals with Saif’s prose. Each chapter is broken down into sections, which typically fit logically into the topic of the chapter. All chapters are composed of several defining parts that maintain a sense of continuity throughout the volume.

Each chapter is filled with quotes from people of that era but not with colourful pictures. Had it been done, it would have added to the beauty of the book. The book is well-referenced, making skilful use of first-person sources. The orderliness of the book conforms to an academic curriculum. All the chapters create neatly parcelled packages and seem to conform to the four-chapter plan.

The author supplies an in-depth analysis of various aspects of the poet’s life and poetry often glossed over in other books. In a nutshell, this collection of significant events in the poet’s life is accented by the people who made it happen and correlated with the poet. The author’s enthusiasm for the topic is obvious throughout the book.

The author provides good material and content, which is not hampered by structural process. Overall, a detailed story of the life and advancement of Saifuddin Saif’s poetry has been shown in readable and entertaining style.