Mirages of the Mind — Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi

A hilarious and nostalgic account of twentieth-century Muslim life on the Indian subcontinent

Basharat and his family are Indian Muslims who have relocated to Pakistan, but who remain deeply steeped in the nostalgia of pre-Partition life in India. Through Mirages of the Mind's absurd anecdotes and unforgettable biographical sketches -- which hide the deeper unease and sorrow of the family's journey from Kanpur to Karachi -- Basharet emerges as a wise fool, and the host of this unique sketch comedy. From humorous scenes in colonial north India, to the heartbreak and homesickness of post-colonial life in Pakistan, Mirages of the Mind forms an authentic portrait of life among South Asia's Urdu speakers, rendered beautifully into English by Matt Reeck and Aftab Ahmad.