Book launch: Unveiling hidden chambers of human psychology

The novel, Ahmad Farooq’s first, has been placed in the library of the US Congress.

ISLAMABAD:

Revolving around the idea of drawing a line between one’s desires and failures, Ahmad Farooq’s novel “Demons” is a study of human relationships and intrapersonal conflicts that humans are born with.

The book was launched by the Pakistan Academy of Letters in collaboration with Imkaan, a literary organisation, on Wednesday.

A large number of literary figures attended the ceremony. They praised the author’s use of poetic language, which, according to them, reflects the inner turmoil of the characters.

Though it is his first novel, it is highly philosophical in nature, written with symbolic expressions that unveil the hidden chambers of life. The book is not just an imaginative leap or an intuitive experience, it is an effort at intellectual unfolding of the flows and furrows of human life in different stages, speakers at the ceremony said.

According to Inayatullah, a senior bureaucrat who was also the chief guest, the flow of words in the novel is so catchy that the reader cannot leave it unfinished.

English poet and writer Ejaz Raheem also praised the novel, saying that it is “a successful blend of modern and post-modern literary themes that make you travel in the past, present and future at the same time.”

National Heritage and Integration Secretary Asif Ghafoor termed the novel an honour for the entire country as it has been placed in the library of the US Congress.

Poet Asghar Abid gave a critical appreciation of the novel, saying that it is a monologue giving an account of the author’s personal feelings, particularly his unfulfilled desired.

The author said his novel is not an autobiography but a collection of observations and understanding of human behaviour.

Ahmad Farooq has studied at the American University Washington DC and Oxford, Manchester and Punjab universities. He has authored several papers and articles on management and development.

Currently he serves as a visiting faculty member at Fatima Jinnah Women University, Quaid-i-Azam University and the University of Lahore.

With additional input from APP

Published In The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2012.