The Pearls of Romanticism _ Book Review
“The Pearls”, the book, under appraisal, is a collection of appealingly composed novelettes by Muttahir Ahmed Khan, a well-known Essayist, Journalist, TV Anchor, and Educationist who has to his credit a number of other books including “The Lighthouse”, “The Spectrum”, “An Insight in Thought”, etc.
As we unfold the above-cited literary venture and go through the introductory phase, we come across some appreciative articles and comments by highly towering and legendary figures including Amjad Islam Amjad (Late), Ayub Khawer, Mudassar Bashir and Moroccan Singer Hayat Aloui. This factor truly adds to the worth and significance of the book as well as the novelist.
Author of the books Muttahir Ahmed Khan.
Factually speaking, there is a continuous decline in the trends of book reading and writing amongst the young generations, in our part of the world. Adding to the disappointment, when we cast a cursory glance at the number of Pakistani English Writers, the situation is more critical as you will hardly find new books approaching the bookshelves, in this regard.
So, it would surely be just and appropriate to opine that The Pearls of Romanticism and Pangs of Reality is a feast for the literature-lovers, and Muttahir Ahmed Khan is a great asset to society as he writes meticulously and thoroughly on social evils and issues in a poignant manner through absorbing style of fiction.
Being an admired journalist and literary critic, Khan always perceives the world around him with a critical angle and expresses his viewpoints with straightforward words; so, he will definitely have a didactic approach in his art of fiction too. His words and sentences are always very touching and inspirational in regard to his endeavor to inspire his readers. His characters speak for themselves and, more than a narration, his fictions create an aura of stage presentation or visual performance of the characters on a screen.
“Neha, the Bad Girl” shakes us fully and forces us to think on the point as to how can life be so indifferent and even cruel towards people like Neha. She was a very loving and innocent girl, but punished for the sins she never committed or even thought to commit in her whole life.
The roles of our slavish statesmen and the otherwise highly polished and trained, but slavish government officers-cum-servants have been portrayed stunningly in the heart-touching novelette titled “Identity Crisis”. Moreover, the story makes us realize that the sacrifice of humanism at the altar of so-called advancement has led us toward the height of insensitivity and bestiality. At the same time, we come across many strong characters of our soil and actual heritage and culture; for example Sheraaz in the novelette “Far across the Seven Seas” and Mrs. Nawaz and Sarfaraz in “The Identity Crisis” make us understand the dedication for family and the society of our people.
Another tantalizing and shaking novelette “The Pangs of the Shattered Dreams” takes us to an average third-world home and its very domestic issues that are, no doubt, more crucial than life and death matters. It is all about the chains of capitalism and its impact on humanity. The combination of maturity and responsibility with emotional flights and romantic touch and the pleasingly balanced ambiance prevailing in “Far across the Seven Seas” is a vivid example that Muttahir, being in his 40s, can easily switch his emotional disposition to the previous generation, his generation, and the coming generations, his students.
To drive home the point, “The Pearls” really bears the weight and worth of its title and provides a reader with thought-provoking ideas with heart-touching stories. Being associated with writing in the English language, the authors like Muttahir can present a soft, strong, and positive image of the country in the world.
