Archive · 27 Oct 2025
Book Review: 'The Mirror of Wonders' Explores Animal-Human Conflicts
This book is a collection of stories about animals, written long ago in Urdu and now translated into English.
The author, though he claimed to dislike animals, wrote stories that showed how they live, feel, and interact with humans.
Some stories are about a dog who loves unconditionally, a nilgai who returns to the wild, and mothers from different species grieving together.
The stories make you think about whether humans or animals are more "civilized" and how they impact each other's lives.
They show how both animals and people can be greedy, compassionate, and sometimes cruel.
The book is a translation of Urdu stories by Syed Rafiq Hussain, originally published in the 1930s and 40s.
The stories feature animals as protagonists and explore their relationships with humans.
The author, Hussain, had complex views on animals despite writing about them with empathy.
The stories highlight themes such as animal-human conflict, maternal love, and the concept of civilization.
The collection includes stories about a maneater, a dog, a nilgai, and other animal characters.
- Who
- Syed Rafiq Hussain, author of Urdu stories, translated by Saleem Kidwai.
- What
- A collection of stories where animals are the protagonists, exploring animal-human relationships.
- When
- Originally published in the late 1930s and early 1940s, with a posthumous release of the collection in 1944. Reissued in 2002.
- Where
- Terai region of the Himalayas.
- Why
- To explore the conflicts, compassion, and complexities of animal-human relationships.
- Book Title
- The Mirror of Wonders and Other Tales
- Author
- Syed Rafiq Hussain
- Translator
- Saleem Kidwai
- Original Publication
- Late 1930s-Early 1940s
- Published by
- Yoda Press