Review
Prigarina's new biography of Ghalib must be regarded as the most important and best work available in English Journal of Islamic Studies Contains a great deal of careful and original scholarship, which makes it much more than a popular biography Journal of Islamic Studies Dr Prigarina's Creative Biography, excellently translated from Russian into English, is very welcome, and more than does justice to the life and achievements of one of India's most fascinating and best-loved poets Journal of Islamic Studies
Review
`A welcome addition to the literature on the truly outstanding person that Ghalib was. Natalia Prigarina has given us a highly readable book ... Her distinction lies firstly in taking Ghalib's Urdu and Persian work in both poetry and prose together to a greater extent than usual. Secondly, she relates Ghalib's life to his times in a wider context than is done generally' Newsline
`Students of literature should find much food for thought in the author's discussion of the Indian poetry tradition, the Urdu ghazal writers' break from the Persian tradition, and Ghalib's own contribution in the form of enlarging the themes of poetical composition. The summing of the poet's character as that of a free-thinker consistently struggling to end bondage to tradition, and as a humanist in the wider global contect (notwithstanding his adherence to the social code of the day) has several refreshing overtones.' Newsline
`The book, originally written in Russian, has been superbly translated by M. Osama Faruqui.' Bahzad Alam Khan, DAWN
