The Naked le plus cher Beggar: And Other Stories by Usmani, Zeeshan-Ul-Hassan NEUF

Ever since man started to create stories, there has existed seemingly an invisible yet eternal bond between fictional tales woven out of words and the actual truth. It is undeniable that the truth always reigns with magnificence and glory within any culture and its people. It is this very truth, seemingly shrouded in lies that a writer attempts to capture and jail forever within intricate cages of letters and words. Doing this is an attempt on his part to relieve the heavy hearts of society from the burden of these lies.

Although the need for beguile exists as the requirement of the times, it is nonetheless preferred to be kept anonymous and unidentifiable. Consequently, the writer too has to alter the identity of these lies hence borrowing unknown shrouds and cloaking these fibs with torn, soiled, and beleaguered words he is forced to present them as being true.

The Naked Beggar and Other Stories is also a similar attempt of a writer to go within the heart of truth and weave out tales that are though born of honesty, cannot be presented as anything else but falsehood. That is the need of the time and it is the only way these truths will ever be accepted. These stories are strewn all about us but are visible only to the discerning eye and a sensitive heart.

Mans intellect can only attempt to capture the essence of these tales. It is ultimately up to the human heart to inject meaning and life into them. For this reason, this collection is not just stories but living beings that have the potential to touch our lives as potently as mortals do. Should the circumambulation of the world seem tedious and wearisome, and should you feel the need to slow down and look inside your heart for peace rather than search for it in the meaningless rowdiness around you, then the stories in this collection will not disappoint you.