Pakistani literature is a distinct literature that gradually came to be defined after Pakistan gained nationhood status in 1947, emerging out of literary traditions of the South Asia. The shared tradition of Urdu literature and English literature of British India was inherited by the new state. Over a big time of period a body of literature unique to Pakistan has emerged in nearly all major Pakistani languages, including Balochi, English, Pushto, Punjabi, Seraiki, Sindhi, and Urdu,.
Alamgir Hashmi, also known as Aurangzeb Alamgir Hashmi, is an English poet of Pakistani origin. Considered avant-garde, his early and later works were published to considerable critical acclaim and popularity.
Faiz Ahmad Faiz was a Pakistani poet and author of Punjabi and Urdu literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated, popular, and influential Urdu writers of his time, and his works and ideas remain widely influential today in Pakistan and beyond. Outside of literature, he has been described as "a man of wide experience", having worked as a teacher, military officer, journalist, trade unionist, and broadcaster.
Kamila Shamsie FRSL is a Pakistani and British writer and novelist who is best known for her award-winning novel Home Fire (2017). Named on Granta magazine's list of 20 best young British writers, Shamsie has been described by The New Indian Express as "a novelist to reckon with and to look forward to." She also writes for publications including The Guardian, New Statesman, Index on Censorship and Prospect, and broadcasts on radio.
Kaleem Omar (KO) (1937 – 25 June 2009) was a Pakistani journalist, and an English language poet.
Alys Faiz was a Pakistani poet, writer, journalist, human rights activist, social worker and a teacher. Alys was born in London, but she later became a naturalized citizen of Pakistan. She was the wife of Faiz Ahmad Faiz and the mother of Salima Hashmi and Muneeza Hashmi.
Pakistan’s tradition of poetry includes Urdu poetry, English poetry, Sindhi poetry, Pashto poetry, Punjabi poetry, Saraiki poetry, Baluchi poetry, and Kashmiri poetry. Sufi poetry has a strong tradition in Pakistan and the poetry of popular Sufi poets is often recited and sung.
M. Athar Tahir is a Pakistani civil servant who is also a poet, author, translator, painter and calligrapher.
Ahmed Ali was a Pakistani novelist, poet, critic, translator, diplomat and scholar. A pioneer of the modern Urdu short story, his works include the short story collections: Angarey (Embers), 1932; Hamari Gali, 1940; Qaid Khana, 1942; and Maut Se Pehle, 1945. His other writings include Twilight in Delhi (1940), his first novel in the English language.
Muneeza Shamsie is a Pakistani writer, critic, literary journalist, bibliographer and editor. She is the author of a literary history Hybrid Tapestries: The Development of Pakistani English Literature and is the Bibliographic Representative of The Journal of Commonwealth Literature .
Zulfikar Ghose was a Pakistani-American novelist, poet and essayist. His works are primarily magical realism, blending fantasy and harsh realism.
The publishing industry in Pakistan is hampered both by a low literacy rate (65%).
Tariq Rahman is a Pakistani academic scholar, newspaper columnist, researcher, and a writer.
Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) is an annual international literary festival held in Karachi, Pakistan. It is the first festival of its kind in Pakistan. It is one of the world's youngest and fastest growing literary festivals. Till 2019, ten festivals have been held.
Muneeza Hashmi is a broadcaster, television producer, actress and a former general manager of the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV). Hashmi has over four decades of experience working with public media. She is currently the General Manager International Relations at Hum TV. She is the youngest daughter of the prominent Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
The Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) is an international literary festival held annually in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The festival is considered to be one of South Asia's premier cultural events.
Taufiq Rafat, was a Pakistani author and poet. His work influenced other Pakistani poets and he is credited with the introduction of the concept of a "Pakistani idiom" in English literature. He is also known as "Ezra Pound" of Pakistan for his modernist style that includes a naturalist view. He did several translations including the works of Bulleh Shah, a well known Pakistani poet, which was published in Oxford University Press.
Bilal Tanweer is a Pakistani writer and translator from Lahore, Pakistan. His novel The Scatter Here Is Too Great was awarded the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize in 2014, and was shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature and the Chautauqua Prize in 2015. He received the PEN Translation Fund Grant for his translation of Muhammad Khalid Akhtar's novel Chakiwara Mein Visaal.
