We all benefit from a creator's dream'
For a bookaholic (definition: one always has an emergency book on their person alongside the obligatory phone and wallet), nothing makes the heart twang with excitement more than a literature festival. I am talking, of course, about the 16th Karachi Literature Festival – and the very fact that it exists makes the bookaholic in me more homesick than ever, more so even than the combined pain of missing out on nihari and Bihari kabab rolls.
Is there anything for the humble expat?
Of course, the main joy in attending a literature festival or book fair of any description is grappling with the question, "How many books will not break the bank?" followed by the deliciously devilish thought, "Screw the bank, how many of these can I carry back to the car?" As an expat currently living in Slough – much too far away from the Beach Luxury Hotel – I was denied the raptures of walking away with a teetering pile of books. However, thanks to Oxford University Press taking the trouble to post mouth-watering reels and full-blown videos of panel discussions with industry experts, I could certainly be there vicariously. Whilst every single contributor spoke eloquently on the issues prevalent today – be it about art or about the world at large – this limited space does not permit paying adequate homage to their insights. Poring through the hours of raw footage posted by OUP, here are two cornerstone media women whose words stood out.
Mishal Husain
As an expat Pakistani woman, Mishal Husain is a force to be reckoned with – especially for someone wanting to prove to girls that a long-standing respectable career in the media is possible for anyone. Husain's face and voice will be familiar to any avid BBC news watcher for 28 years until late last year. The broadcast journalist, whose roots lie in Pakistan, spoke during the closing ceremony during her first stint at the festival, lauding the range of panel discussions from climate change to theatre in Sindhi, Balochi, Punjabi and Pashto, amongst many others. "The special spirit of Karachi has been brought under one roof – this has not happened by accident," Husain said warmly.
Speaking in depth about her parents' and grandparents' experiences during partition, Husain said, "I mention all this because of the many writers and creators of different kinds who are gathered here. In their dreams, there will be fictional characters and the search for the right word of expression. For the visual creator, they will try to capture the right image that captures their scene. Film and documentary makers will dream of the perfect visuals. For agents and designers, there will be layouts and captions – and that's where all of us come in and come together.
Paying homage to the depth and breadth of creators in the country, Husain poignantly noted, "We all benefit from the dreams of the creators. In the context of Pakistan, their work is no less of a part of the building of a nation than the building of a factory or a road."
Kamila Shamsie on writing
Any aspiring Pakistani novelist would do well to take on board Salt and Safron author Kamila Shamsie's advice on writing, which the writer eloquently expressed during a panel discussion running over an hour long. You would be surprised to know that there is much more to finishing a book than nailing the nitty gritty of your plot and the backstory of your characters.
"If the writing has to feel alive, a lot of it has to be a surprise to you, as a writer," she advised. "There has to be a sense of discovery there. You really need to log into your subconscious."
When it comes to getting under the skin of a place, Shamsie had more specific insights. "Writing about a place defines your relationship to that city," said the writer, who has previously gone on record to say that she is made up of the books that she has read as much as the cities she has lived in.
Elaborating on the special nuances she incorporates about a place in her writing, Shamsie added, "When you write about a place, you need to know, what is the weather in May as opposed to November? What plants are in bloom? What trees are growing there?"
Be not alarmed if you want to write fiction but cannot even keep a cactus alive. I don't know anything about plants," confessed Shamsie. "I'm terrible. But every one of my novels will tell you what is in bloom, what trees are around and whether they are in flower or not. When I'm writing about Karachi, I basically call my mother and ask her, 'In June, what's in flower?'"
The details that Shamsie stitches into her prose becomes evident when we see her writer's mind at work – and to be given the opportunity to get a sneak peek behind the scenes makes the pain being so far away from this precious festival bearable.
Other KLF highlights
The three-day Karachi Literature Festival was held from February 7-9 at the Beach Luxury Hotel, with this year's theme revolving around 'Narrative from the Soil'. Panel discussions shed light on critical issues facing the city and its place in the world, seeking ways to move forward. Rather than dwelling on disorder, violence, and calamities, the aim was to understand these challenges and find lasting solutions. The key to finding these lasting solutions? Bringing on board a diverse group of writers, thinkers and literature enthusiasts to share their stories and ideas, exploring major trends and critical issues.
Bearing all this in mind, the festival this year featured over 70 sessions, including 26 book launches with a mix of both Urdu and English, alongside 15 sessions showcasing theatre, story-time, and music for younger audiences. The broad range of sessions included talks on literature, education, public interest and culture, as well as performances, feature films, and a series of short independent film screenings.
In a country where public libraries are as scarce as blue diamonds, for the committed book lover, any place with a horde of books in one place is tantamount to a fashionista discovering there is a 90 per cent sale on Gucci handbags. Add to that the icing on the cake of a place for Pakistani writers to come together and take part in panel discussions (free for us to watch, in person or online), and there is no finer way to spend a weekend.
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The anthology refuses to impose closure on a tradition still in formation. More than a collection of texts, the anthology becomes a map of sensibility — a way to trace how writers have responded to the dilemmas of language, belonging, and history. Its significance lies not only in the range of material it gathers, but in the perspective, it models. By treating Pakistani English literature as a living tradition — shaped by argument, experiment, and dissent — it invites readers to see it not as a supplement to Urdu and regional literatures, but as a vital dimension of contemporary Pakistani culture. At a time when cultural identities are often reduced to singular narratives, this volume emphasises the value of complexity. It affirms that literature is most vital when it admits contradiction, when it resists the consolations of nostalgia, and when it dares to question the very categories that define it. In the New Century ultimately stands as both an archive and a provocation — a testament to the enduring conviction that literature, even when contested, remains one of the most powerful ways a society can imagine itself anew. In the New Century: An Anthology of Pakistani Literature in English Compiled and Edited by Muneeza Shamsie Published by Oxford University Press Pakistan, 2025 Pages: 600 Price PKR 2495/- ISBN: 978-0-19-906091-7 The writer is a Pakistan-born and Austria-based poet in Urdu and English. He teaches South Asian literature and culture at Vienna All facts and information are the sole repsonsibility of the writer
