The Weary Generations

Abdullah Hussein’s ambitious saga of social struggle The Weary Generations has been a bestseller in Urdu. A vivid depiction of the widespread disillusionment and seismic upheavals of the Partition era that lead to the creation of Pakistan and Bangladesh, there has never been a more opportune time to discover one of the most important writings about the post-colonial trauma in the region. Peter Owen editor and rights manager Simon Smith describes the book as ‘One of the best books, if not the best, we have ever published’.

Beginning with the struggle of the people of India against the British Raj, this story of love and marriage between two people of totally different social backgrounds which crumbles almost as soon as as it takes place mirrors the uneasy ‘marriage’ between the British and their Indian Empire – both unions ultimately ending in a parting of the ways. Naim, son of a peasant, marries Azra, the daughter of a rich landowner. Fighting for the British during the First World War he loses an arm. Invalided home, he becomes angered at the subjugation of his countrymen under the Raj and aligns himself with the opposition. His ideals are swept away after Independence in 1947 when he realises that, as Muslims, his family is no longer safe in their Indian home and that they must migrate to the newly created Pakistan.