FICTION/ POETRY: WORDS FALL APART.

Over time, Pakistani writers have provided us with so much to read that we now have quite a library. But with the mass of content available in Urdu fiction, it is tricky to work out what to read and what to avoid.

Some novels and short story collections have proved to be particularly exceptional, and readers who may have recently developed an interest in Urdu literature are often recommended the same works time and again.

Pir-i-Kamil, a masterpiece of a novel by Umera Ahmed, is one such book. Another is the classic Raja Gidh [The Vulture King] by Bano Qudsia, which employs a stream of consciousness to narrate a psychological journey set amidst a love triangle.

Can Lafz [Word] by Abdaal Bela aspire to become such a book? A mixture of poetry and prose, it comes from the pen of a retired army colonel who has more than 20 works of Urdu fiction to his name.

The theme of the book is meant to be the same as the title. In the eponymous section, 'Lafz', Bela writes that, in his pursuit of investigating the concept of words, he ended up compiling an entire book.

He believes that words are undoubtedly the most amazing achievement of human invention and a kind of magic. So powerful are they that a mere shift in their arrangement can bring about massive changes in the world.

Words are also very tricky, he cautions, and must be used with extreme care. When, and when not, to use a certain word may well be as important as a matter of life and death.

But although we get a sweeping lesson from the author on the notion of words, it is quite difficult to categorise the approach of the book itself. Is it a collection of poetry? Of short stories? Has the author simply jotted down his thoughts as and when they came to him? There are 215 'pieces of writing' in the book, but we cannot define them.

Several - chapters, let's call them, for the sake of simplicity - are conversations between a lover and his beloved. Many are, again, on the subject of words, the multiplicity of meanings, and how differing perspectives lead to vastly different interpretations of the same word.

He believes that words are a kind of magic. So powerful are they that a mere shift in their arrangement can bring about massive changes in the world. Words are also very tricky, and must be used with extreme care.

In the piece titled 'Aaee Samajh' [Do You Understand?], the discussion surrounds 'dafeena', or hidden treasure. Addressing the beloved, Bela says she is out looking for dreams, in search...