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Articles

Vol. 12 No. 1 (2020): Transnational Literature

History as the Culprit of the Fractured Past and Present in Gulzar's "Two"

Submitted
June 2, 2020
Published
2020-11-26

Abstract

Seventy years after the subcontinent went under the blade of History to suffer the Partition, a sensitive poet like Gulzar feels compelled to write a novel on the same subject. Partition Literature has a long tradition in various genres and Gulzar himself has authored a number of poetic and non-fiction writings on the Partition. Yet, the subject remains beyond artistic representation and once again the pain and suffering of millions as a repercussion of the event force the literary artists to arrest and assess the problematic with new perspectives. In "Two", Gulzar takes up the historical event as a subject of his fictional art and depicts History as a protagonist still actively working on it without becoming history. The present paper attempts an analysis of the novel "Two" as a Partition novel and the author’s treatment of History in relation to the individuals victimised in its course.