باقر مہدی اردو ادب میں ایک ایسی شخصیت کے طور پر جانے جاتے ہیں جن کے بارے میں مشہور ہے کہ اپنے دور میں علم و ادب پر شاید ہی کوئی ایسی سنجیدہ کتاب ہو جس کا مطالعہ انہوں نے نہ کیا ہو۔ کوئی بھی نئی کتاب جیسے ہی شائع ہوتی تھی، وہ اسے پڑھنے کے لئے پریشان ہوجاتے تھے۔ زیر نظر کتاب ان کے منتخب تنقیدی مضامین پر مشتمل ہے جس میں انہوں نے ترقی پسند ادب اور جدیدیت کے مابین کشمکش جیسے اہم موضوع کے ساتھ ساتھ کچھ دیگر موضوعات پر روشنی ڈالی ہے۔ اس میں جدیدیت اور توازن، غالب: خوف پر قابو پانے کی ایک کوشش، یادوں کی برات، ایک جوان برگد کی موت (احتشام صاحب کا ایک ادھورا خاکہ) وغیرہ جیسے مضامین شامل ہیں۔ سنجیدہ ادبی تحاریر اور باقر مہدی میں دلچسپی رکھنے والے قارئین کے لیے یہ کتاب اہم ہے۔

Baqir Mehdi was born on February 11, 1927 in the family of landlords in Rudoli (Awadh), UP. His father, Razm Rudolvi, was also a poet. His mother died in infancy. He received his early education in Rudoli, and later obtained an M.A. (Economics) from Aligarh. After trying his luck in many big cities, he finally came to Mumbai in 1954. He grew acquaintances with a number of intellectuals in Mumbai and initially made a living through tuition. While Economics was his main subject, he also had a great command over Urdu and Persian. He met Khairul Nisa, his to-be-wife, while writing the thesis for his Ph.D. His addiction of alcohol, and self-centeredness utterly ruined him.

He followed his own rule and road. Whenever at his home an argument took place with another poet or writer, he would bitingly discard him at his farewell, ‘better not come to my house, the next time’. He was quite a headstrong. When poets and writers went to meet him, Baqir would open the door and see who had come, and allowed only those inside who he wanted to meet, and shut the door on the others. Baqir himself writes that he cannot keep even two or three men happy.