Kicking up Dust

Azra Abbas writes poetry in Urdu. After earning her Master's degree in Urdu at Karachi University, she taught Urdu Literature at a college. In 1981, she published an extended prose poem, Neend ki Musafatain, in the stream-of-consciousness style. Since then, she has published four collections of poetry, her memoirs, a compilation of short stories, and a novel. The writer currently lives in Karachi with her husband, the poet and novelist, Anwer Sen Roy.Samina Rahman studied English Literature and Politics at the Universities of Punjab and Cambridge respectively. She taught at the Quaid-i-Azam University and University of the Punjab before getting together with a group of like-minded women to establish Lahore Grammar School in 1979, where she still works. She is also a founding member of Women's Action Forum (WAF), and has sat on the boards of numerous educational and women's rights organizations including Society for the Advancement of Education (SAHE), Aurat Foundation, Dastak, and Simorgh. Ms Rahman has written on education, literature, history, and women's issues. Her English translations of Urdu fiction and poetry have been published in various anthologies at home and abroad.

• Translator's NoteIntroductionPart OneMy Childhood Part TwoPoems1: Burden2: It is so Difficult to Remove the Grime3: Where Are You Taking Me4: It is Difficult to Write a Poem5: Bitch6: Untie My Hands7: Forgetting the Desires of the Night8: When the Whole Day Goes By9: Before Exile10: Ennui11: Where am I12: This Work I'm Doing13: After Your Arrival14: Self Portrait15: On the Table16: In Exchange for this Life17: Confession18: My Shadow19: A Poem20: Cycle of Fate21: This Heart Will Not Accept22: Life in Pieces