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Rohzin

Rohzin

LONGLISTED FOR THE JCB PRIZE 2022

Rahman Abbas
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LONGLISTED FOR THE JCB PRIZE 2022

Mumbai was almost submerged on the fatal noon of 26 July 2005, when the merciless downpour and cloudburst had spread utter darkness and horror in the heart of the city. River Mithi was inundated, and the sea was furious. At this hour of torturous gloom, Rohzin begins declaring in the first line that it was the last day in the life of two lovers, Asrar and Hina.

The novel’s protagonist, Asrar, comes to Mumbai, and through his eyes the author describes the hitherto-unknown aspects of Mumbai, unseen colours and unseen secrets of the city’s underbelly.

The love story of Asar and Hina begins abruptly and ends tragically. It is love at first sight which takes place in the premises of Haji Ali Dargah.

The arc of the novel studies various aspects of human emotions, especially love, longing and sexuality as sublime expressions. The emotions are examined, so is love as well as the absence of it, through a gamut of characters and their interrelated lives: Asrar’s relationship with his teacher, Ms Jamila, a prostitute named Shanti and, later, with Hina; Hina’s classmate Vidhi’s relations with her lover and others; Hina’s father Yusuf’s love for Aymal; Vanu’s indulgence in prostitutes.

Rohzin dwells on the plane of an imagination that takes readers on a unique journey across the city of Mumbai, a highly intriguing character in its own right.

Imprint: Vintage Books

Published: Apr/2022

ISBN: 9780670093861

Length : 256 Pages

MRP : ₹599.00

Rohzin

LONGLISTED FOR THE JCB PRIZE 2022

Rahman Abbas

LONGLISTED FOR THE JCB PRIZE 2022

Mumbai was almost submerged on the fatal noon of 26 July 2005, when the merciless downpour and cloudburst had spread utter darkness and horror in the heart of the city. River Mithi was inundated, and the sea was furious. At this hour of torturous gloom, Rohzin begins declaring in the first line that it was the last day in the life of two lovers, Asrar and Hina.

The novel’s protagonist, Asrar, comes to Mumbai, and through his eyes the author describes the hitherto-unknown aspects of Mumbai, unseen colours and unseen secrets of the city’s underbelly.

The love story of Asar and Hina begins abruptly and ends tragically. It is love at first sight which takes place in the premises of Haji Ali Dargah.

The arc of the novel studies various aspects of human emotions, especially love, longing and sexuality as sublime expressions. The emotions are examined, so is love as well as the absence of it, through a gamut of characters and their interrelated lives: Asrar’s relationship with his teacher, Ms Jamila, a prostitute named Shanti and, later, with Hina; Hina’s classmate Vidhi’s relations with her lover and others; Hina’s father Yusuf’s love for Aymal; Vanu’s indulgence in prostitutes.

Rohzin dwells on the plane of an imagination that takes readers on a unique journey across the city of Mumbai, a highly intriguing character in its own right.

Buying Options
Paperback / Hardback

Rahman Abbas

Rahman Abbas won India’s highest literary honour, the Sahitya Akademi Award, in 2018 for his fourth Urdu novel, Rohzin. He has also won four state Sahitya Akademi awards for his novels. Rahman is the author of ten books, including six novels. When his first novel was published, Islamists had accused him of spreading obscenity through his work and had filed a case against his novel. He was forced to resign from his job at a Muslim institution. Rahman fought a court trial for over ten years and was acquitted in 2016 of the obscenity charges. Rohzin has been translated into German, English and Hindi, and received the prestigious LitProm Grant managed by the Swiss and German governments. It was also longlisted for the JCB Prize and shortlisted for the Muse India 2023 GSP Rao Translation Award. On the Other Side was originally published in 2011 under the title Khuda Ke Saaye Mein Aankh Micholi and won the Maharashtra State Urdu Sahitya Academy Award. Rahman lives in Mumbai.

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