Urdu novelist One of the most prominent Urdu novelists and short story writers of the post-independence era, Abdullah Hussain shot to fame with his debut novel, his magnum opus, Udas Naslain, which won the 1963 Adamjee Prize for Literature. Written against the backdrop of the First World War and the events that took place in the run-up to Independence in 1947, Udas Naslain captures the essence of the social and political upheaval that the subcontinent was passing through. The question, 'what did the lost generations get from Independence' that he had asked in Udas Naslain was answered by himself in his Nashaib — the rat race. His later works — novels Baagh and Nadaar Loag, novellas Qaid and Raat and collections of short stories Nashaib and Faraib — too, became quite popular among the lovers of Urdu fiction. The Weary Generations is the self-translated English version of Udas Naslain. Having stayed in the UK for about 40 years where he ran a pub, Abdullah Hussain returned to Pakistan a few years ago. Born in Gujrat to a family of small landowner, Abdullah Hussain passed away after protracted illness in Lahore.