PUNJABI LITERATURE

Punjabi literature refers to literary works written in the Punjabi language particularly by peoples from the historical Punjab region of India and Pakistan including the Punjabi diaspora. The Punjabi language is written in several different scripts, of which the Shahmukhi, the Gurmukhī scripts are the most commonly used.
Early Punjabi Literature (c. 11-13th century)
Whereas the oldest Punjabi literature can be found in the fragments of writings of the 11th Nath yogis Gorakshanath and Charpatnahthe Punjabi literary tradition is generally conceived to commence with Fariduddin Ganjshakar (1173-1266).Farid's mostly spiritual and devotional verse were compiled after his death in the Adi Grant The Mughal and Sikh Periods (c. 16th century - 1849)
The Janamsakhis, stories on the the life and legend of Guru Nanak (1469-1539), are early examples of Punjabi prose literature. Nanak himself composed Punjabi verse incorporating vocabulary from Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, and other Indic languages as characteristic of the Gurbani tradition. Sufi poetry developed under Shah Hussain (1538-1599), Sultan Bahu (1628-1691), Shah Sharaf (1640-1724), Ali Haider (1690-1785), and Bulleh Shah (1680-1757). In contrast to Persian poets who had preferred the ghazal for poetic expression, Punjabi Sufi poets tended to compose in the Kafi.
Punjabi Sufi poetry also influenced other Punjabi literary traditions particularly the Punjabi Qissa, a genre of romantic tragedy which also derived inspiration from Indic, Persian and Quranic sources. The Qissa of Heer Ranjha by Waris Shah (1706-1798) is among the most popular of Punjabi qisse. Other popular stories include Sohni Mahiwal by Fazal Shah, Mirza Sahiba by Hafiz Barkhudar (1658-1707), Sassi Punnun by Hashim Shah (1735?-1843?), and Qissa Puran Bhagat by Qadaryar (1802-1892).
Heroic ballads known as Vaar enjoy a rich oral tradition in Punjabi. Prominent examples of heroic or epic poetry include Guru Gobind Singh's in Chandi di Var (1666-1708). The semi-historical Nadir Shah Di Vaar by Najabat describes the invasion of India by Nadir Shah in 1739. The Jangnama of Shah Mohammad (1780-1862) recounts the First Anglo-Sikh War of 1854-56.
Modern Punjabi Literature (c. 1860-1947)
The Victorian novel, Elizabethean drama, free verse and Modernism entered Punjabi literature through the introduction of British education during colonial rule. The Punjabi novel developed through Nanak Singh (1897-1971) and Vir Singh. The novels, short stories and poetry of Amrita Pritam (1919-2005) highlighted, among other themes, the experience of women, and the Partition of India. Poetry began to explore more the experiences of the common man and the poor through the work of Puran Singh (1881-1931) whereas Dhani Ram Chatrik (1876-1957), Diwan Singh (1897-1944) and Ustad Daman (1911-1984) composed nationalist poetry during and after the Indian freedom movement. The Punjabi diaspora also produced poetry whose theme was revolt against British rule in Ghadar di Gunj ('Echoes of Mutiny'). Modernism was meanwhile introduced into Punjabi poetry through Prof. Mohan Singh (1905-78) and Shareef Kunjahi.
Post-Independence Literature (since 1947)
Among the more prominent Punjabi poets since 1947 are included Amrita Pritam, Shiv Kumar Batalvi (1936 –1973), Munir Niazi (1928–2006), Surjit Paatar (1944 - ) and Pash (1950-1988). Punjabi fiction and drama has continued to explore modernist and post-modernist themes including sexuality, gender dynamics and the experience of the common man through the works of Balwant Gargi (1916-2003), Kartar Duggal (1917- ), Ajit Cour (1934- ) and Dalip Kaur Tiwana (1935 - ). The rediscovery of Punjabi identity in Pakistan has been explored in the novels of Fakhar Zaman and Afzal Ahsan Randhawa. Literary criticism in Punjabi has also emerged through the writings of Shafqat Tanvir Mirza (b. 1932), Ahmad Salim, and Najm Hosain Syed (b. 1936).
Punjabi Diaspora literature has developed through writers in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the United States as well as writers in Africa such as Ajaib Kamal (b. 1932) in Kenya. Some of the themes explored by diaspora writers include the cross-cultural experience of Punjabi migrants, racial discrimination, exclusion, and assimilation, the experience of women in the diaspora, and spirituality in the modern world. Second generation writers of Punjabi ancestry such as Rupinderpal Singh Dhillon (b. 1969) have explored the relationship between British Punjabis and their immigrant parents as well as experiment with surrealism, science-fiction and crime-fiction.