Identity: Eminent translator, fiction writer, dramatist, children’s author, and a major literary figure who brought world literature into Urdu

Mazhar-ul-Haq Alvi was born on 8 September 1926 in Ahmedabad. He belonged to a distinguished scholarly, Sufi, and literary family linked to the renowned Sufi saint Wajihuddin Alvi and the classical Urdu poet Wali Dakhni. His grandfather was a poet who used the pen name “Miskeen,” while his father wrote poetry under the name “Jameel.” The noted critic Waris Alvi and poet Mohammad Alvi also belonged to the same family.

Mazhar-ul-Haq Alvi spent most of his life in Ahmedabad, where he worked as an assistant librarian. During this period, his passion for reading, writing, and intellectual exploration nurtured his creative abilities and drew him permanently toward literature. His vast reading and deep engagement with world literature established him as one of the important translators in Urdu.

For nearly seven decades, he rendered remarkable literary services and elevated the stature of translation in Urdu literature. He possessed exceptional skill in translating masterpieces of English, Gujarati, and world literature into Urdu. His translations were not mere literal renderings; they carried creative richness, stylistic fluency, and the atmosphere of the original texts with remarkable effectiveness.

He translated several important works of world literature into Urdu. He translated Alexandre Dumas’ famous novel The Count of Monte Cristo under the Urdu title Zill-e-Huma, which gained immense popularity. Similarly, he translated Matthew Gregory Lewis’ novel The Monk as Khanqah. His Urdu translations of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and the adventure novels of H. Rider Haggard are also considered major contributions. Works such as Rooh Ki Pukar, Khoonkhar, Firaun Ki Aap Beeti, Aadam Khor Qabeela, Firaun-o-Kaleem, Bhonra, and Alesha became highly popular among Urdu readers.

His major works include translations of English novels, original short stories, dramas, and children’s literature. His stories regularly appeared in the popular children’s magazine Kaliyan, where they were widely appreciated by young readers. His writings reflect a fine blend of curiosity, entertainment, moral instruction, and linguistic elegance.

More than one hundred of his books were published, including translations, fiction, dramas, and children’s stories. In recognition of his literary services, he was awarded the “Bahadur Shah Zafar Award” in 2012.

Death: Mazhar-ul-Haq Alvi passed away on 17 December 2013 in Ahmedabad.