اُردو کا پہلا مکتوبی افسانہ نگار۔علّامہ راشدالخیری

Abstract

Allama Rashid-ul-khari was the earliest and most prolific prose writer in Urdu creative literature whose works made a way for fictional narratives. He was an Urdu novelist, short-story writer, feminist writer, poet and humanist. He left no less than eighty books which include novels, social and historical short stories and collection of eassys other than two comedy works. His special forte is tragedy. Rashid-ul-Kheri is generally regarded as the chief and most successful imitator of Deputy Nazir Ahmad. But there is a good deal of more sadness and sorrow to be found in his works than in those of Nazir Ahmad. This earned for him the title of Musawwar-e-Gum. He was pioneer who raised his voice for women’s rights and served for the cause of Muslim women education in India through the platform of ‘Ismat’ a social and literary magazine for women. Kheri’s works depiets the clear and vivid picture of women’s circumstances durig his time in India. Allama Rashid-ul-Kheri has been recognized as the earliest short story writer in Urdu literature as well as the pioneer in using epistolary technirque in fictional genre i.e in short-story writing. His major epistolary works include “Masli Hui Pattiyan” and “Qatrat-e-Ashk” laving fourteen epistoloary short stories i.e eleven in “Masli Hui Patiyan” and three in “Qatrat-e-Ashk”. This article brings into light the epistolary works of Rashid-ul_Kheri as the first epistolary short story writer in Urdu creative literature.