What is Literature? Answer of this question is not as simple as it seems. Different literary experts and authorities have defined this term differently. This could not be discussed here easily. We expect the visitors of this site would share their views, to publish on the pages of Sheen Web .com, in the best interest of our visitor or students of literature, like me.

Literature is call “ADAB” in Urdu, Persian, Pashto, Punjabi, Blochi, Hindko, and all such oriental languages, having the meanings of Decorum, Discipline, Urbanism, Respect, Manners etc. In the light of these meanings of Adab, we could define the term, as “every writing or piece of written material which follows the rules of discipline, respects, etc could be called literary writing and could be kept in the shelf of literature”.

The English word “literature” is derived from a Latin word Littera, stands for the art of writing.

Literature could be divided in to two main classes. First is called Fictional Literature and second as Non Fictional Literature.

Standard of writing is the base to differentiate good and bad literature. Critics reject the below standard written materials and they do no allow them to keep in the cell of good literature. Attractive and appealing way of writing created by the writer’s heart beating with a quality of penetrate in the heart of readers or listeners could be graded as good literature.

Peshawar was a paradise for literature and literary activities in every age of the city, tell the scholars. Being first station or place of stay across the Gateway to South Asia each and every invading nation used to bring their, the civilization, culture and literature among them. Learned people also say that the dough of Urdu language, which was introduced as Rekhti and Lashkari Zaban or Troops language, developed and became popular with the name of Urdu, was started to take place here in Peshawar.

Literature of Pashto, Persian, Arabic and other such languages were brought here by the invaders, these oriental languages mixed with local and regional dialects and formatted a Lashrkari Zaban or language of troops and it became popular most at about every place of subcontinent. Great and famous poets and writers caused to enrich the literary treasure of this region with their valuable literary work, tell the learned scholars.

Farigh Bukhari, the author of his famous book entitled “Attock Kai us paar”, means, “Across the River of Attock”, published in 1955, has divided the literary span at Peshawar between 1700 AD to 1955 AD in to 5 literary periods and recorded the names and work of literary personalities, living and belonging to these 5 literary periods.

What happened after 1955, how many literary periods have been passed away? And who much literary personalities were living in the periods after 1955?, and what is about their literary work?, these questions are still answer less. Flowing water of time is passing away and away. The culture of writing and reading of the books is unfortunately vanished in the stormy developing age of computer and technology. But we could not believe that there is no literary institution in this capital city of the province of Pakistan . We could not believe that literary activities have been stopped in this area.

Literature is still being born and it is still growing here on the day by day basis, as the clay of the field is still cultivable and environment is still alive and helpful for creation of literature and literary activities. Dozen of literary organizations and individuals are playing their vital role in practice to produce and grow the literary work of standard class in Pashto, Hindko, Khowar, and other languages, beside Urdu, our national language.

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