Guest Editor, Nov-Dec, 2012

Centenaries can be useful occasions for reflection and understanding. In the case of someone as contentious as Saadat Hasan Manto (1912–1955), his hundredth birth anniversary offers an occasion to not merely locate Manto in the continuum of the short story tradition in India, but also make amends. For instance, those who regard Manto as a writer of a ‘certain’ sort of stories would do well to study his oeuvre in its entirety to understand its range and complexity. Those who see him merely as a chronicler of the Partition might wish to read his stories about women, or children, or the frailties of ordinary human beings. Yet others who view him as a man obsessed with obscenity and physicality might find themselves surprised by his take on contemporary politics. A broad-based sampling of Manto’s work will reveal a wide range of subjects. There will be dark stories of the evil that lies hidden in the hearts of men.