Read Bilal Hasan Minto’s Urdu short story Keera in Bilal Tanweer’s English translation, Parasite, on Scroll.in. The translation was a joint winner of the 2021 Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-English Translation.
Read “Parasite” in English
Scroll.in published the English story on December 12, 2021, crediting Bilal Hasan Minto as the author and Bilal Tanweer as the translator. Read the full story on Scroll.in.
Guernica published the story on August 8, 2022, with an introduction that places it in the suburbs of Lahore, Pakistan, and offers thematic context. Read the story at Guernica.
Why the story is connected to the 2021 prize
Parasite is the English title of Keera, Minto’s Urdu short story, translated by Tanweer. The translation jointly won the 2021 Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-English Translation. Aalim Akhtar’s translation of Zakia Mashhadi’s Hari Bol was the other joint winner; the official award page lists no runner-up. The jury described Parasite as “an unusual and enjoyable story, bordering on the surreal.” See the official award results and jury comment.
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The prize honours the literary legacy of poet and scholar Ali Jawad Zaidi (1916–2004). The Indian Express reported on the prize and its background.
What happens in the story
Mahmud is thin, and a colleague’s account of worms in his child leads him to believe an intestinal parasite is consuming his food. He tries to treat himself, then repeatedly strains on the toilet until he is in pain and bleeding. Meanwhile, he takes advantage of his driver Maqbul’s hope of emigrating: Mahmud tells him that attaching a fake tail will help him get a visa to America. Their fears and delusions converge in a violent ending.
This summary describes fictional events, not medical advice. Guernica characterizes the story as darkly humorous and describes its movement from paranoia toward a death trap, while drawing attention to its entanglement of masculinity and class-based power. Those are the publication’s interpretive frames, rather than a claim about the author’s stated intent.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.From “Keera” to “Parasite”
Keera is the Urdu title; Parasite is the title used for Tanweer’s English translation. The story also appears in Minto’s Urdu fiction collection Model Town, published by Sanjh Publications. Guernica identifies the collection as the story’s book context; its publication page and Scroll.in both provide the English story online.
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