What Kind of Urdu Literature Content Can Readers Find on Riffat Murtaza's Site?

Updated

riffatmurtaza.com is a personal literary blog centered on Urdu literature, written mainly in English with Urdu poetry quoted in its original script and transliteration. It suits readers looking for reflective, first-person writing about Urdu poets, ghazals, naats, and literary figures rather than a structured reference archive or a formal academic journal. The site's own description is simply "Urdu Literature and more..."

What the content looks like

Based on the site's published material, the writing tends to combine personal memory with literary commentary. A representative post from January 23, 2013, reflects on the death of Shkeel Aazad, described as a poet known in New York's Urdu literary circles.

The post illustrates the typical shape of an entry:

  • It opens with a personal trigger — reading an Urdu newspaper published from New York and coming across a death notice.
  • It recalls a specific relationship: the poet obtained the author's phone number from a friend and called once, after which contact faded.
  • It comments on the poet's standing: "He was a good poet. Really good poet, but never got his due recognition."
  • It notes the newspaper described him as a famous naat reciter, while adding that he also wrote excellent ghazals heard at AD mushairahs.
  • It quotes a single she'r in Urdu script with Roman transliteration, attributed as naatiyah:

اِک شب کے لئے یا رب ،تو اپنا قلم دے دے
لکھنی ہے مدح مجھ کو، کونین کے مالک کی۔

ik shab key liyay yaarab tou apna qalam de dey
likhni hey mdah mujh-ko konain key maalik ki.

Genres and figures covered

From this and similar entries, the site's literary range includes:

Element What appears on the site
Poetry forms Ghazal and naat, quoted in Urdu with transliteration
Literary settings Mushairahs (poetry gatherings), including ones referred to as "AD mushairahs"
People Poets, reciters, and literary acquaintances, often remembered through personal encounters
Tone Memorial and reflective, mixing appreciation with regret about unrecognized talent

Language and format

The narrative prose is in English, while poetry is preserved in Urdu script, usually followed by a Roman transliteration. This makes the site readable for English-speaking audiences who want the flavor of the original verse without full fluency in Urdu script. Entries are short, essay-like posts rather than long critical studies, and at least some are filed under general categories such as "Uncategorized."

Who it is for

The site is a good fit if you want:

  • Personal, anecdotal writing about Urdu poets and literary life, especially in diaspora communities such as New York.
  • Occasional quoted ghazals and naats with transliteration.
  • Memorial tributes that place a writer's work in the context of a remembered friendship or encounter.

It is less suited if you need a comprehensive archive of a poet's complete works, scholarly criticism with citations, or a searchable database of Urdu literature. The content is selective and memory-driven — a single remembered she'r, a single phone call — rather than exhaustive.