Daud Kamal
Encyclopedia
Daud Kamal 4 January 1935 - 5 December 1987(Urdu
: داؤد کمال)) was a Professor of English Literature at University of Peshawar
, Pakistan
. He was educated at Cambridge University
, UK. Kamal started writing poetry in his twenties and became one of the major English language poets of Pakistan. He received three gold medals for his poetry from the Triton College and his poems were recorded for the Library of Congress
, Washington DC. USA. ‘Remote Beginnings’ and ‘A Selection of Verse’ (ISBN 0-19-577812-X), are his anthologies. He also did translations of the classic Urdu
poet Ghalib in English.
Born at Abbottabad into an academic family. His father Mohammad Ali, S. Pk, was the Vice Chancellor of the Peshawar University. He got his early education at Burn Hall School
in Srinagar(not to be confused with the branch of the school in Abbottabad
, Pakistan); graduated with distinction from the University of Peshawar; obtained his tripos from the University of Cambridge. Starting off as a lecturer after his return from Cambridge, Daud Kamal was appointed Professor and Chairman of the Department of English, University of Peshawar in 1980 and continued to serve in this position till his death on December 5, 1987, leaving behind a wife, two daughters and a son.
Daud Kamal published his free verse translation 'Ghalib: Reverberations' in 1970 hailed by many as the best rendering of the master in English. His first collection Compass of love and other poems appeared in 1973. This was followed by Recognitions (1979), Faiz in English (1984) and A Remote Beginning 1985. Kamal's rendering of Faiz was published in another edition from India in 1988.
Kamal's work has been posthumously collected and published in the following titles: Rivermist (1992), Four contemporary poets (Translations from Urdu, 1992), Before the Carnations Wither (1995), A Selection of Verse (1997).http://www.getpakistan.com/home/looking_back/DaudKamal.htm
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: داؤد کمال)) was a Professor of English Literature at University of Peshawar
University of Peshawar
The University of Peshawar is a public sector university in the city of Peshawar, Pakistan. The university was established in October 1950 by Mr...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. He was educated at Cambridge University
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, UK. Kamal started writing poetry in his twenties and became one of the major English language poets of Pakistan. He received three gold medals for his poetry from the Triton College and his poems were recorded for the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, Washington DC. USA. ‘Remote Beginnings’ and ‘A Selection of Verse’ (ISBN 0-19-577812-X), are his anthologies. He also did translations of the classic Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
poet Ghalib in English.
Born at Abbottabad into an academic family. His father Mohammad Ali, S. Pk, was the Vice Chancellor of the Peshawar University. He got his early education at Burn Hall School
Burn Hall School
Burn Hall School is a missionary school for boys situated in Srinagar, India, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The school was established by the Mill Hill fathers/missionaries of Ireland....
in Srinagar(not to be confused with the branch of the school in Abbottabad
Abbottabad
Abbottabad is a city located in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan. The city is situated in the Orash Valley, northeast of the capital Islamabad and east of Peshawar at an altitude of and is the capital of the Abbottabad District...
, Pakistan); graduated with distinction from the University of Peshawar; obtained his tripos from the University of Cambridge. Starting off as a lecturer after his return from Cambridge, Daud Kamal was appointed Professor and Chairman of the Department of English, University of Peshawar in 1980 and continued to serve in this position till his death on December 5, 1987, leaving behind a wife, two daughters and a son.
Daud Kamal published his free verse translation 'Ghalib: Reverberations' in 1970 hailed by many as the best rendering of the master in English. His first collection Compass of love and other poems appeared in 1973. This was followed by Recognitions (1979), Faiz in English (1984) and A Remote Beginning 1985. Kamal's rendering of Faiz was published in another edition from India in 1988.
Kamal's work has been posthumously collected and published in the following titles: Rivermist (1992), Four contemporary poets (Translations from Urdu, 1992), Before the Carnations Wither (1995), A Selection of Verse (1997).http://www.getpakistan.com/home/looking_back/DaudKamal.htm
See also
- List of Pakistani writers
- Pakistani poetryPakistani poetryPakistan has a rich and diverse tradition of poetry that includes Urdu poetry, English poetry, Sindhi poetry, Pashto poetry, Punjabi poetry, Saraiki poetry, Baluchi poetry, and Kashmiri poetry...
- Alamgir HashmiAlamgir HashmiAlamgir Hashmi is a major English poet of Pakistani origin in the latter half of the 20th century. Considered avant-garde, both his early and later works were published to universal critical acclaim and widespread influence...
- Omer TarinOmer TarinOmer Tarin , born March 1967, is a well-known Pakistani poet in English, research scholar, and social activist...