Another new translated collection from Urdu’s most controversial short story writer Saadat Hasan Manto (1912-1955), Women of Prey comprises stories that were first brought together in 1955 in a collection titled Shikari Auratein.
Translated by poet, author and translator Saba Mahmood Bashir, the stories that are mostly dated around 1950 and set in Lahore, Amritsar and Bombay, portray a side of Manto that is witty and hilarious, even though many of them end in tragedy. In most of the stories, Manto does not portray women as victims, rather, they are smart, clever, confident, vindictive and even conniving.
The stories in this collection serve as a peek into the contemporary society of the time in the form of memorable characters such as the comical doctor who disguises whisky in a medicine bottle to make his wife believe that it is a cure for his headache—until she decides to treat her own headache with it one day; and the man who gets hold of a pornographic film which he shows his wife and friends to see their reaction.
‘Gentlemen’s Brush’ is a story about a group of lively and energetic artists in Amritsar and their interest in music.
The story even consists of vivid descriptions of Amritsar from back in the day: “All the different streams of human life flowed together endlessly. Political movements rose and fell. Gangsters killed each other. Debates raged between Muslims and Qadiyans, in which many noted clerics and scholars participated. Droughts came and natural calamities happened. Terror was unleashed at Jallianwala Bagh and thousands—Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus—were killed mercilessly. But Amritsar remained as it was.”
The title story is about various ‘characterless’ women that Manto encountered while in the cities of Bombay and Lahore. Some of the stories also bring alive the magic of 1940s cinema in Bombay, “with all its glitz, glamour, parties, heartbreak and scandals”. ‘Meerut’s Sharp Wit’ is an interesting sketch of Paro Devi, a courtesan and aspiring actress from Meerut.
The story also closely examines Manto’s friendship with the veteran actor Ashok Kumar. ‘Sitara’ is a profile of the legendary Kathak dancer and actress Sitara Devi—whom he describes as “a recurring storm that will rage on till eternity”.
While most people know about her resilience and undefeatable spirit, not many probably know about this “ancient enchantress’s” insatiable appetite for men.
However, as Saba Mahmood Bashir rightly points out in the book’s Introduction, none of the characters in Manto’s stories are quite so colourful and unforgettable as the man himself.