Hamza Shinwari

Life and work

Introduction

Amir Hamza Khan Shinwari, known as Hamza Baba, was a poet, writer, dramatist, and Sufi. He is recognised as a bridge between classical and modern Pashto literature.

Hamza Baba joined the Persian and Urdu traditions of the ghazal with Pashto language, Pashtun identity, and the experience of Khyber. His literary work spans dozens of books and hundreds of radio dramas.

The “father of the Pashto ghazal,” who gave the form a new modern expression.

Books and editions

Bibliography