A History of Urdu Literature (Oxford in Asia Historical Reprints)

This work has successfully managed to order a vast and amorphous body of literary activity into one volume. The book marked a stage in the development of literary consciousness even more deeply than preceding works by Abdul Latif and Ram Babu Saxena. Taking a historical view, the study regards the formative Deccan period as most creditable, both for the natural bent of the language and the natural inclination of the poets. The author's view that the pure, indigenous Urdu is better than the Persianised Urdu is clearly explained. This literary history ends with a notice on Mohammad Iqbal. When the book was written the Progressive Writers Movement had not been launched, and Bailey stood at a cusp. From this vantage, he provided us with a useful summary of the past, and gave a context to unfolding trends in literature. Another interesting, in fact, important aspect of this Work is that the author is rarely dismissive of any poet, however minor. Bailey's credentials as a historian of literature are validated by the place he assigns to minor poets who make up the general fabric of literature to a far greater extent that the major poets; the major poets being too individual and their sameness being a challenge to a discerning critic seeking precision.