Dur-e Maknoon Ahmed

Short stories offer an entertaining alternative to lengthy novels for busy, on-the-go bibliophiles

Short stories offer an entertaining alternative to lengthy novels for busy, on-the-go bibliophiles

BY DURE-MAKNOON AHMED ’20

Works of literature do not often go viral, but recently a short story called “Cat Person” by Kristen Roupenian was widely shared and commented on. The story centers around a young college-aged woman who enters a rocky relationship with a considerably older man, and it explores the volatility of 21st century relationships. This theme resonated with a large crowd, as it paralleled the #MeToo movement that spread through social media. Due to its short length, “Cat Person” was able to spread like wildfire and impact thousands of people. 

Mount Holyoke hosts its 95th Glascock Poetry Competition

Mount Holyoke hosts its 95th Glascock Poetry Competition

BY DURE-MAKNOON AHMED ’20

Mount Holyoke held its 95th Kathryn Irene Glascock ’22 Intercollegiate Poetry Competition on March 23 and 24. Past winners include the likes of Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell and James Merrill. Mount Holyoke alumna Gjertrud Schnackenberg ’75 won the competition twice.

Toni Morrison’s continued legacy at 87 years old

Toni Morrison’s continued legacy at 87 years old

BY DURE-MAKNOON AHMED ’20

Feb. 18 marks the 87th birthday of celebrated author Toni Morrison. Throughout her writing career, which spans half a century, Toni Morrison has been dedicated to the cause of racial justice. Her raw clarity and courage, coupled with her great writing skills, have earned her many accolades, including the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.

Eurocentrism in English literature classes has global consequences

Eurocentrism in English literature classes has global consequences

BY DUR-E-MAKNOON AHMED ’20

At its core, the study of English literature as an academic discipline is meant to be centered around the appreciation of artistic merit. Various frameworks are used to explore literary works, but the human fascination with art is ultimately at the heart of the study of literary works. While this value is universal enough, the worldwide culture in which the English discipline emerged is biased, and English education still struggles to transcend Eurocentrism.

Centuries later, Latin and Greek classics retain their impact

Centuries later, Latin and Greek classics retain their impact

BY DUR-E-MAKNOON AHMED ’20

Some of the oldest works in Western literature are Greek and Roman classics such as the Iliad, stories which originally existed in oral traditions. The study of these works evolved into the academic discipline of classics, which focuses on understanding the Greco-Roman world through its languages and literature. 

Review: The brave books of Saadat Hasan Manto

Review: The brave books of Saadat Hasan Manto

BY DUR-E-MAKNOON AHMED '20

In the spirit of Banned Books Week, Saadat Hasan Manto’s Urdu short stories deserve attention. In Pakistan, Manto is both respectable and notorious. A few of his short stories, like “Toba Tek Singh,” are part of some school curricula, but others are hardly ever even mentioned aloud. Approximately 60years after his death in 1955, he still continues to be one of the most controversial Indo-Pakistani writers of all time.

Haroon Moghul speaks about new book at Eid Celebration

Haroon Moghul speaks about new book at Eid Celebration

BY DUR-E-MAKNOON AHMED ’20

Author Haroon Moghul delivered a keynote speech and signed copies of his new book “How to Be Muslim: An American Story,” on the Sept. 15 Eid Celebration in Chapin auditorium. Moghul was received by a vibrant gathering of students from all of the five colleges. The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, this time in collaboration with the Odyssey Bookshop, annually hosts a dinner and keynote speaker to mark the Muslim holiday Eid-al-Adha, which fell on Sept. 1 this year.

Why hating poetry is the best way to love it

BY DUR-E MAKNOON AHMED '20

My relationship with poetry has always been strange. I grew up reading my mom’s copies of Shakespeare and Robert Browning. As a child, I would watch my parents listen to nationalist poems set to music and debate with each other about meanings and significance of powerful couplets by the eminent Urdu poet Iqbal. In this environment, I subconsciously assumed that I had to love poetry.

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