The Handbook of Mirza Ghalib's Poetry and Poetics: Commentaries and Contemporary Concerns is a seminal contribution to Ghalib studies. It provides a detailed commentary in English on the poetry of Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, known as Ghalib (1797-1869), arguably the greatest poet of Urdu not only of the 19th century, when he lived, but of all time. Each couplet is explained in English and is underpinned by historical references. Each chapter is rigorous, thorough, and jargon-free, making it accessible to all readers. The commentary relates to the historical reality of Ghalib's time as well as the contemporary period. It quotes several couplets from Urdu, Punjabi and English literature as well as other significant texts that have influenced civilisations, such as the Bible, the Quran, Dhammapada, Bhagwat Gita, Plato, and so on. It touches upon cultural history, too. Ghalib's commentaries - rich in cultural, historical, and literary references - make his work relevant to a wide range of contemporary concerns. The book is a social and literary guide to Indo-Islamicate culture, Iranian pre-Islamic cultural influences and local folk Indian Islam. The Urdu text of Ghalib and poetry in the literary languages of South Asia -- Persian, Urdu and Punjabi -- are transliterated according to a list of symbols that maintain accuracy and accessibility. The book introduces the reader not only to Ghalib's couplets but also to the most famous form of Islamicate poetry, the ghazal , found in Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu literary traditions. In turn, it provides an alternative lens to understanding Islam and its interdisciplinary connections within the fields of international relations, politics, and sociology.

Presents accessible and jargon-free information on Mirza Ghalib's poetry Shifts the focus from militant forms of Islam, contributing to combatting Islamophobia Provides a comprehensive overview of the intricacies of Ghalib's poetry

Autorentext
Tariq Rahman has two doctoral degrees: Ph.D (1985) and D.Litt (2014) from the University of Sheffield. He has published 8 books, over 60 articles and several book reviews. He was the first Pakistani to be honoured by one of Germany's highest awards for academic research called the Humboldt Research Award. The President of Pakistan conferred upon him the Pride of Performance in 2004 and the Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2013. He is a Salzburg Seminar fellow (2017), a member of the Common Room at Wolfson College, University of Oxford, a visiting fellow of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics and has been the incumbent of the Pakistan Chair at the University of California, Berkeley and a visiting professor at the University of Aarhus, Denmark and the Peace University in Castellon, Spain. He retired as Director of the National Institute of Pakistan Studies at QAU and is now Dean of the School of Social Sciences at the Beaconhouse National University, Lahore.

Inhalt
Introduction.- Ghazals and couplets: Meanings and commentary.- Appendix.- Epilogue.- Bibliography.