Book Hijr-Nama
Book Hijr-Nama
Book Hijr-Nama by Zeeshan Ameer Saleemi
The Urdu Poetry Collection Quietly Crossing Borders and Hearts
By Dr. Ayesha Caroline Malik
Literary Researcher & Cultural Analyst, New York, USA
In a world increasingly shaped by noise, speed and digital distraction, the quiet power of poetry often feels like a luxury. Yet every so often, a book arrives that refuses to be ignored. Hijr-Nama, the acclaimed Urdu poetry collection by Zeeshan Ameer Saleemi, is one such work a book that has travelled across continents long before it reached the shelves of its new readers.
I first encountered Saleemi’s ghazals in a thin envelope posted from Pakistan to my home in New York. Inside were pages of classical verse, written in the delicate rhythm of bahar and wazan, carrying an emotional clarity that felt almost rare in today’s world. The poems spoke not only of separation (hijr) but of longing, memory, migration, and the fragile humanness that lives beneath silence.
What struck me most was not only the craft though the 160 ghazals are undeniably crafted with classical mastery but the unmistakable honesty of the voice behind them. Saleemi writes as one who has lived every word.
A Global Poetic Presence Built Quietly, Authentically
While many writers chase international recognition, Saleemi’s global reach grew organically. His poetry is now translated into more than 25 languages and has reached readers in over 45 countries. Over 110 poets worldwide have translated his work, and more than 150 literary figures have endorsed his poetic vision a phenomenon rare for modern Urdu literature.
Among these admirers is Ananya Rao, an Indian-born literary critic now based in California, USA. Rao describes Hijr-Nama as “one of the most emotionally disciplined and stylistically pure ghazal collections of the decade.” According to her, Saleemi’s poetry revives the classical grace of Urdu while retaining the emotional accessibility required by today’s global readership.
Why Hijr-Nama Matters Right Now
In an era defined by displacement emotional, geographic, cultural Hijr-Nama gives readers a language for experiences they often cannot articulate.
Saleemi’s ghazals offer:
- A bridge between classical and modern expression
- A deeply humane understanding of separation, loss and memory
- A poetic language that carries the soul of South Asia to the world
- A universal emotional truth, even for readers who do not speak Urdu
This is why the book resonates so strongly among the 195 million Urdu speakers worldwide and even beyond that linguistic universe. Poetry lovers across cultures have connected with its sincerity, purity of thought, and quiet emotional bravery.
The Book That Refuses to Remain Local
Despite being rooted in the rhythm of classical Urdu literature, Hijr-Nama has become a global literary artefact shared in book clubs, academic circles, multicultural poetry forums, and digital literary platforms.
Its strength lies in being unapologetically true to its heritage, while also being stunningly relevant to the present moment.
It is not just a book; it is an emotional archive of longing the kind that survives distance, borders, and time.
A Poet Whose Words Travel Further Than His Footsteps
For readers discovering his work today, Zeeshan Ameer Saleemi is not merely a poet he is becoming one of the most recognisable contemporary voices of Urdu literature. His classical discipline, combined with global relatability, has made his writing uniquely powerful.
As Dr. Ayesha Caroline Malik, I say this not as a critic or academic, but as a reader whose heart was moved:
Hijr-Nama is not simply read it is felt.
And that is what makes it timeless.
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