Writers, fans mourn the passing of literary giant Intizar Husain

The realm of literature is poorer today with the passing of Intizar Husain, one of Urdu's greatest short story writers, poets and columnists.

Intizar Husain had been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Lahore, where he succumbed to his illness.

Born in the early 1920s, Intizar Husain migrated to Lahore with the creation of Pakistan, where he served various newspapers. He retired from Mashriq Daily in 1988 and began working as a freelance journalist and writer.

His books include Gali Koochay, Kankari, Din Aur Dastan, Shehr-i-afsos, Kachhuay, Khaimay Say Door, Khali Pinjra, Morenama and Sheharzad Kay Naam. Despite being read and loved by many, Husain kept a low-key profile and rarely gave interviews.

Novelist Nadeem Aslam interviewed him for BBC Urdu:

Intizar Husain was conferred upon the 'Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters' by the French Ambassador to Pakistan Philppe Thiebaud in September 2014. He was among the 10 finalists for the Man Booker International Prize for fiction in 2013.

The writer's fans paid rich tribute to him on Twitter: