The Ibne Safi phenomenon

I tried to move forward and take a first look at the newly published books put on sale in a stall in the lobby but I was pushed back by an over enthusiastic crowd. I tried again but in vain. Then I felt someone’s hand on my shoulder and a whisper in my ear: “This is how his books were sold once; now you experience the same!” It was Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, eminent Urdu critic, poet and novelist and the translator of the books being launched.
 

Born in the village of Nara in Allahabad District (UP) in 1928, Asrar Narvi, who took the pseudonym Ibne Safi, reigned over the realm of detective fiction of the subcontinent from 1952 till his death in July 1980. He penned 245 books in two popular series of novels, Jasoosi Duniya and Imran Series that were set in locales as diverse as Spain, Italy, England, Scotland, the Pacific Islands, Zanzibar, South Africa and the US.
 

The popular sleuths Colonel Faridi, Captain Hameed and Ali Imran won the hearts of millions of readers instantly. He created such a craze that people used to line up at bookstalls for his novels which were even sold on the black market on the day of issue. In the 1950s, small “anna libraries” would rent his novels at escalated rates, restricting readers to finish reading while others waited in line. Such was his popularity and demand.
 

Translating Ibne Safi was not a trivial job. If it were simple pulp fiction, the job might have been easier. A number of people tried to translate earlier and gave up. To set Ibne Safi apart from the popular pulp fiction writers, we need to take a look at various facets of his literary personality. Well before he became known as a leading mystery writer, people in literary circles knew him as Asrar Narvi, a progressive poet.
 

He was also a successful satirist, writing under the pseudonyms of Tughral Farghan and Sanki Soldier. Being well-read and educated, his language, communication and ideals were powerful and comprehensive. The same language and ideals crept into his fiction writing. Humour, satire and literary allusions all amalgamated with mystery and thrills, his style took shape in the form of what we now know as Jasoosi Duniya and Imran series.
 

Shamsur Rehman Faruqi writes, “I think Ibne Safi is hard to translate, for he is so utterly steeped in the Urdu literary and social culture. The humour depends on wordplay, distortion of language and almost private social contexts. But for a translator who has a good sense of the rhythms of modern English, he should not present an insurmountable challenge, for English is a very powerful language.” (First City, New Delhi, July 2011.)
 

In the years 2010 and 2011, eight of Ibne Safi novels were translated and published. House of Fear, containing the translations of the first two novels of the Imran series, was published by Random House India. Four of Jasoosi Duniya’s novels were then translated by Faruqi under the titles Poisoned Arrow, Smokewater, Laughing Corpse and Dr. Dread and published by Blaft in association with Tranquebar Press.
 

The latest in the series is Dangerous Man translated by Taimoor Shahid and published by Random House India. The Blaft/Tranquebar translations were also released simultaneously in electronic format on amazon.com.
 

The translations were very well received and reviews appeared in almost all leading newspapers of the subcontinent, viewing the advent as a revival of Ibne Safi. Messages from readers all over the world poured in on the official website and the Facebook page. 
 

One such comment came from an antiques and art appraiser, Gary Germer of Germer & Associates in Portland, Oregon (USA): “I have read House of Fear and enjoyed it very much. Even though the copy I have is just a paperback, 
 

I cherish it as I feel I have found a treasure that connects me to new friends on the opposite side of the earth.”And another comment on House of Fear, by an amazon.com customer, Chinky Malankis of Monmouth, Illinois (USA) goes: “The only problem for an English speaker such as me is that there appears to be a dismaying dearth of Imran's adventures to be read. Must I learn to read Urdu? Or will enterprising publishers get to work on providing more translations of Safi's work in order to satisfy the powerful craving of his readers for additional volumes?”
 

These simple comments communicate to me that the zeal and enthusiasm that was shown by the audience at Gulmohar Hall at the launch of Ibne Safi's English translations in New Delhi have indeed crossed the international borders and the fiction of Ibne Safi is alive and kicking here and elsewhere.