ISLAMABAD: Pakistani satire "A Case of Exploding Mangoes" by Mohammed Hanif has finally been released in the country’s official language Urdu.The former fighter pilot turned journalist, novelist and librettist is best known for the 2008 novel which chronicles the final days of General Zia-ul-Haq’s rule and the myriad conspiracies behind the plane crash that killed him in 1988.While "Mangoes" was set in Zia´s Pakistan, it was first released in English. Internationally, the novel earned glowing reviews and was longlisted for the Booker Prize, with critics comparing Hanif to famous satire writers Joseph Heller and Kurt Vonnegut. According to Hanif, a publisher "sat" on the Urdu translation of the book for years, citing potential repercussions. But "the time for a backlash has passed", said the book’s publisher Hoori Noorani. Noorani is hoping to sell a few thousand copies -- a decent number in a country with low literacy rates and an ongoing economic downturn that he says has forced some people to "choose between buying a book or food". Like most in Pakistani media, Hanif admits to "self-censoring" mostly out of fear of putting his family at risk. "I have pushed the boundaries," says Hanif. "But I’m now more careful than I’ve ever been in my life."
from The News International - National https://ift.tt/2r8MNMp
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