This book presents for the first time in English,a representative selection of the work of one of the most original voices to have established itself in Pakistani Urdu prose fiction. Consisting of new translations of thirsty of the best stories of Mazhar ul Islam and a set of mini-stories,this book illustrates the variety of his literary imagination through the inclusion of some of his other pieces:the highly stylized prologues which preface his story collections, essays on folklore and on literature, and two prose poems.

Characteristically brief in Compass,Mazhar ul Islam's stories are notable for their creative evocation of Pakistani life,including its powerful Sufi heritage.