Background
Ahmad Faraz was born in Kohat, (then British India) to Syed Muhammad Shah Barq.
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Ahmed Faraz
Edit ProfileEducation
He studied in famous Edwards College, Peshawar and received Masters in Urdu and Persian from Peshawar University. Ethnically a Pashtun Syed, Ahmad Faraz studied Persian and Urdu at the Peshawar University.
Career
He was acclaimed as one of the best modern Urdu poets of the last century. "Faraz" is his pen name, (in Urdu takhalus). He died in Islamabad on 25 August 2008.
He moved to Peshawar with his family.
He later became a lecturer at the Peshawar University. Ahmad Faraz served as Chairman, National Book Foundation, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Political activity Faraz was arrested for writing poems that criticised military rulers in Pakistan during the Zia-ul-Haq era. Following that arrest, he went into a self-imposed exile.
He stayed for 6 years in Britain, Canada and Europe before returning to Pakistan, where he was initially appointed Chairman, Pakistan Academy of Letters and later chairperson of the Islamabad-based National Book Foundation for several years.
He has been awarded with numerous national and international awards. In 2006, he returned the Hilal-e-Imtiaz award he was given in 2004. He mentioned his current writings and said: "I now only write when I am forced to, from the inside." Maintaining a tradition established by his mentor, the revolutionary Faiz Ahmad Faiz, he wrote some of his best poetry during the days when he was in exile.
Famous among the "poetry of resistance" has been "Mahasara".
Faraz was also mentioned by actor Shahzada Ghaffar in the Pothwari/Mirpuri telefilm "Khai Aye O". Death Faraz died of kidney failure in a local Islamabad hospital on 25 August 2008.
His funeral was held on the evening of 26th, by many admirers and government officials at H-8 Graveyard, Islamabad, Pakistan. A sample of his poetry is: Nazm: Khwaab martay naheen Khwaab martay naheen Khwaab dil hain, nah aankhen, nah saansen keh jo Rezaa, rezaa huwe to bikhar jaayen ge Jism kii maut se ye bhii mar jaayen ge English translation.
Dreams do not die Dream are heart, nor eyes nor breath Which shattered, will scatter Die with the death of the body Another poetic translation of the above Dreams do not die Dreams are heart, nor eyes nor a breath Which shatter and then they scatter, Die they all, with end being nigh.
Achievements
Views
Quotations: "I now only write when I am forced to, from the inside." Maintaining a tradition established by his mentor, the revolutionary Faiz Ahmad Faiz, he wrote some of his best poetry during the days when he was in exile. Famous among the "poetry of resistance" has been "Mahasara".
Connections
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Born
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Died
August 25, 2008 (aged 77) -
Nationality
Pakistan -
Religion
Islam