Translation: Marguerite Gricourt
Preface : Qurratulain Hyder
This collection of four short stories - in a bilingual edition - presents the translation from Urdu, and then the original texts by Qurratulain Hyder. The author evokes the atmosphere of her childhood memories, funny or tragic vignettes of life, and intimate suffering through which the sophistication, but also the cruelty of Indian society at the time of Partition is revealed. The book is prefaced by an introduction by Marguerite Gricourt and the French translation of the preface that Qurratulain Hyder wrote for The Sound of Falling Leaves, a collection of short stories that she herself translated and adapted into English.
Qurratulain Hyder (1927-2007) is the “great lady” of Urdu letters. A prolific author (twelve novels, four collections of short stories and numerous translations by classical authors), in her major work “River of Fire” she has painted a vast historical fresco that goes from the 4th century BC to the period. post-independence in India and Pakistan. In her short story collections, she paints portraits of very sensitive women with small touches. Her work, widely known in English-speaking countries (she wrote or translated some texts into English) earned her the highest literary awards in India.
Marguerite Gricourt is a lecturer at the Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations. A specialist in Hindi / Urdu, she is also the designer of the Hindi / Urdu baccalaureate subjects.
Introduction
Préface à l’édition anglaise (Preface to the English edition)
L’Arc-en-ciel des souvenirs (A Rainbow of Memories)
Dalanwala — mémoires d’une enfance indienne (Dalanwala - Memories of an Indian Childhood)
Carmen
Le Bruissement des feuilles d’automne (The Sound of Falling Leaves)
Glossaire (Glossary)