 Title page of Fasana-e-Azad Vol. 3, 4th ed. (1899), published by Nawal Kishore Press | |
| Author | Ratan Nath Dhar Sarshar |
|---|---|
| Original title | فسانۂ آزاد |
| Language | Urdu |
| Genre | Picaresque novel |
| Set in | Lucknow and an imaginary Middle East during the late 19th century |
| Publisher | Nawal Kishore Press |
Publication date |
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| Publication place | British India |
| 891.4393 | |
Fasana-e-Azad (Urdu: فسانۂ آزاد; transl. The Adventures of Azad, also romanized as Fasana-i-Azad) is an Urdu novel by Ratan Nath Dhar Sarshar. It was serialized in Avadh Akhbar between 1878 and 1883 before it was published in four large volumes by the Nawal Kishore Press. The story follows a wandering character named Azad and his companion, Khoji, from the streets of late-nineteenth-century Lucknow to the battlefields of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) in Constantinople and Russia. The work's status as a novel has been debated, but it is thought by most scholars to be one of the first novels (or a proto-novel) in Urdu.
Sarshar conceived of writing Fasana-e-Azad after the success of the articles he contributed to Avadh Akhbar under the title "Zarafat" ("Wit and Humour"). Perennially popular, Fasana-e-Azad has been a subject of study by literary critics as the first Urdu novel and for its influence on the literary form's later development. It is noted for its colourful descriptions of Lucknow, its people, and its culture.