In an article posted on Dec. 05, 2016, on the Literary Hub, Rajat Singh talks about how reading the poetry and other works of the great Urdu writer, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, got him through the months post-Trump's victory in the 2016 US elections. How can a Pakistani leftist poet of the mid-twentieth century be connected to an election victory in the US, a little over 30 years after his death? The answer to that question is quite simple, yet quite fascinating. Throughout the course of this article, I will explore this link to the best of my ability.

Born in the Narowal district of British India in 1911, Faiz did his Bachelors and Masters in Literature from two of the most prestigious educational institutes of modern-day Lahore in Pakistan. A self-proclaimed Marxist, Faiz gained vast experience in various occupational fields before settling on becoming a writer. From being an army officer in the British Indian Army to broadcasting on Indian Radio, he had done it all. Owing to his unique background, he became a writer of great repute after the partition of the sub-continent. Such was his expertise with the written word that he was even nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Through his exemplary work, he raised his voice against the rule of authoritarian leaders, dictators, and military establishments in a language that spoke not only to the people of his nation, but to the entire world. His works received traction on a global scale because he recognized the problems of the common man and applied simple metaphors to take advantage of human rhetoric in a way no one had seen before. A socialist at heart, he spoke freely despite the rising threat of right-wing and Islamist political parties. . Many contemporary poets have struggled with the art of balancing revolution and romance in their words, but Faiz had mastered this. It is important to note that much of Faiz's radical poetry was written during his time behind bars in Montgomery Central Jail. His most famous nazms include “Hum Dekhenge” (We Shall See), which talked about a better future, free of tyrannical rulers and the hope of living long enough to see it. This particular poem is still renowned for its charged language and was widely celebrated in Pakistan during Zia-ul-Haq’s regime in the eighties. One particular performance of the poem by Iqbal Bano in the Alhamra Arts Center of Lahore is said to have stirred the population against Zia-ul-Haq, as listeners hung on and related to every word of the poetry.

Another great work of his, “Mujh Se Pehli Si Muhabbat” (The Love You've Become Accustomed To), talks about how the ideals of a truly democratic, socialist state had been lost very early on after Pakistan's independence, all the while personifying it with a beloved, probably to escape literary persecution—such was the flair in his writing. My personal favorite is his poem titled “Tanhayi” (Loneliness), which at first reads like a conversation with a beloved, but, in fact, focuses on post-colonialism and decolonization. Talking about how dreams might be getting diminished and the metaphorical lights are going out, Faiz, in his eloquent manner, covers so many topics within a few verses. One specific verse says that the night has fallen and the stars are bringing about their usual gloom, indicating that there is little hope left for the country after the British left because no progress has been made in the years post-Partition.

Faiz's rather rebellious writing landed him in a Pakistani prison in 1951 under allegations of conspiracy against the Liaquat Ali Khan administration. His sentence was commuted later on, but he remained under the perpetual threat of censorship and exile from his country. He passed away in 1984, unable to witness the fall of the Zia-ul-Haq government in 1988 and the revival of democracy that ensued in the nineties. In my opinion, he would be very disappointed by the state of affairs in his country today, because he always wished to remain optimistic for the people and leave a mark through his words, which he hoped would bring about change in the structures of government.

Works like Faiz’s made the world fall in love with him and his style of writing. Seemingly radical ideas were expressed in a nonchalant manner in one nazm (poem) while another was the epitome of boldness, forcing the reader to believe that his freedom of speech was absolute in a censored state like Pakistan. It was this very valiance with which Faiz wrote, that a journalist in America found comfort in his ideas and the notion that if you stand up to authority long enough, it will pay off one way or another. 36 years may have passed after the great man breathed his last, but his legacy will live on through his words.