Veteran Pakistani writer Intizar Husain dies at 93

Intizar Husain, veteran Urdu short story writer, poet and journalist who was the first Pakistani author ever to be nominated for the Man Booker International Prize for fiction, passed away at a hospital here today.
He was 93.
Husain was shifted to Defence Hospital Lahore after his condition deteriorated last week. He breathed his last in the afternoon.
Born on December 7, 1923 at Dibai in Bulandshahr district ofUttar Pradesh in India, he migrated to Lahore in 1947. He did his MA (Urdu) in 1946 from the Meerut College. He worked in various newspapers and retired from 'Daily Mashriq' in 1988.

Husain was conferred the 'Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters' by France in 2014.
He was among the 10 finalists for the Man Booker International Prize for fiction in 2013. He was the first Pakistani and the first Urdu writer ever to be nominated for the international award.

Husain's books include 'Gali Koochay', 'Kankari', 'Din Aur Dastan', 'Shehr-i-afsos', 'Kachhuay', 'Khaimay Say Door', 'Khali Pinjra', 'Morenama' and 'Sheharzad Kay Naam'.
Despite being read and loved by many, Hussain kept a low-key profile.
Husain had earlier said Urdu has always had a strong tradition of poetry but if Urdu and Muslim writers had not disowned the grand fiction produced in ancient India, they could have built an equally strong tradition of Urdu prose, as well.