Of Necessity & Wanting
by Sascha A. Akhtar
Of Necessity & Wanting is a collection of lyrical, atmospheric stories of varying lengths set in urban Pakistan. At its forefront are the concerns of people who are lower down on the metaphorical ‘chain’ of status and power, especially in the context of their symbiotic relationship with those they see as ‘other,’ ‘ privileged’ or 'fair.' Akhtar’s breathtaking prose, which combines social realism with complex and intricate plots, desires, and psychogeographies—represents a groundbreaking exploration of women’s rights, such as independence and emancipation, in South Asia.
ISBN: 9781838069834
240 pages
Date published: 11/10/2020
Paperback
"Sharply observed & tightly spun. Sascha has the eye of a poet & the ear of a wanderer. She writes precisely & lyrically. It’s a thing of beauty."
- Mohammad Hanif
"There is a familiarity in Akhtar’s characters that reminds us that, whomever or wherever we are, we share the same truths. Deliciously written, always entertaining and filled with striking imagery, Akhtar’s stories do the most magical thing - they show us who we are."
- Nik Perring
Sascha Akhtar is a Poetry School Tutor and judge for the Streetcake Prize for Experimental Writing. Her course 'Breaking Through Writer's Block,' has been published by The Literary Consultancy, London as part of their ground-breaking #BeingAWriterprogramme. Known for her prolific poetry, Sascha Akhtar has also had her fiction published in BlazeVox, Tears In The Fence, The Learned Pig, Anti-Heroin Chic, MookyChick & Storgy. A book of translations of pioneering feminist fiction writer Hijab Imtiaz from the Indian Subcontinent is due in 2021 with Oxford University Press, India.
Copies are also available via Liberty Books in Pakistan
