Munir Momen

Munir Momen (also spelled Monir Momin) was born on 12 October 1966 in Pidrak village, Kech District, Balochistan, Pakistan. He got his primary education from the Government school in Pasni, Gwadar District. He took his intermediate exam at Degree College Turbat in 1984, and earned his BA in psychology from Balochistan University, Quetta in 1986. He lives in Pasni, Gwadar District, Balochistan.

Munir is first and foremost a poet. He is known as one of the most versatile poets of the Balochi language and has been called an imagist par excellence. (212) The first anthology of his poems, Negáhay Bátenay Sapar (Inner Journey of the Eye), was published in 1999. (213) It was followed by Abétkén Shayráni Zémer (Melody of Melancholy Poems), (214) Daryá Chanké Hósham Ent (The Ocean is a Handful of Thirst), (215) Estál Shapádá Gardant (Stars Walk Barefoot), (216) Pás Janán Ent Darwázag (The Door is Keeping Night Watch), (217) Yakk Bechillé Ázmán (A Handspan of Sky), (218) and Payápén Lacchahé Pa Taw (A Pure Poem For You). (219)

Munir is known for his poetic precision and compression of words. He uses fewer words to convey more. He is considered a poet who speaks between the lines and expresses more than just what his words say. His tone is often that of a monologue, as if he is speaking to himself. The subjects of his poetry range from love and affection to the pain of a thinking mind, the ups-and-downs of society, loneliness, and so on.

Munir is considered one of the architects of modern Balochi poetry, following in the footsteps of Ata Shad, (220) who introduced blank verse and new ideas to Balochi poetry from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Munir Momen has also written on literary subjects, and in 2019 he published a book of his literary essays, Gédi o Sáchesht (The Universe and Creation). (221) He has also written a number of short stories which have been published in various journals and in a collection of short stories, Lilán (Lilan). (222)

The story by Munir Momen presented in this book, Bahesht (Paradise) is an allegory of two pigeons, Mezar and Didar, who fall in love but are not allowed to meet. It is not hard to draw a parallel between the world of pigeons and the world of humans. Unlike most of the stories in this book, however, the story of Mezar and Didar ends on a positive note.