CM releases short story collection

When asked why the characters and setting of her book were essentially Islamic,Jalil responded by saying that it was the world she grew up in. “I belong to the Indian Muslim middle class,and so do my characters,” she said.

Stating that she has tried to dispel myths and stereotypes in her stories,the author said that she wishes “to neither provoke nor offend,but I do have a point of view.” The book is a collection of ten short stories,written over a period of 18 years.

According to Jalil,the book has not been written from the perspective of any gender,and deals with the lives of “very ordinary people”. She said Urdu poetry was the “earliest sound” to reach her ears,and that was what gives her writing an “idiosyncratic touch”.

Jalil is widely known for her work in the field of translation.