aaj ik aur baras biit gayā us ke baġhair
jis ke hote hue hote the zamāne mere
Abdul Hameed, better known as A. Hameed, is considered to be one of the prominent fiction writers in Urdu. He was born at Amritsar on August 25, 1928 where he received his early education in a local school. After the Partition of India, he acquired the degree of F. A. in Pakistan as a private candidate and joined Radio Pakistan in the capacity of staff artist. There, he wrote radio features and plays. In 1980, he resigned and migrated to USA and joined the Voice of America as a Producer. He did not, however like the conditions at his new location and returned to Pakistan to work as a freelance writer till his last day. Hameed is the author of over two hundred short stories, plays, and novels.
Hameed’s first story entitled “Manzil Manzil” was published in the prestigious journal Adab-e Lateef. His literary career began with the stories that instantly found their appeal with the readers. His stories were marked by nostalgic fervor they created and the romantic nostalgia they evoked. These distinguishing features of his writing brought him a huge readership. His first collection of short stories Manzil Manzil proved extremely popular with his readers. During the 90s, he wrote serial plays entitled Ainak Wala Jin for children. These too created lots of curiosity among children who waited impatiently for the next installment.
More popular of Hameed’s novels include Paazaib, Phir Bahar Aayi, Shahkaar, Mirza Ghalib Royal Park Mein, Titli, Behraam, Jahannum ke Pujaari, Bagooley, Dekho Shahr Lahore, Junoobi Hind ke Jungalon Mein, Ganga ke Pujaari, Pehli Mohabbat ke Aansoo, Ahram ke Dewata, Weeran Haweli ka Aaseb, Udaas Jungle ki Khushboo, Balidaan, Chand Chehre, Guistan-e Adab ki Sunehri Yaadein, and Khufia Mission etc.
A.Hameed passed away on April 29, 2011 at Lahore.