'Written with depth and precision, Alexander Jabbari demonstrates how engagements between Persian and Urdu were crucial to the creation of a new habitus of literary modernity in twentieth-century Iran and South Asia, making the case that the story of literary culture in the era of nations may best be told from a transregional and multilingual perspective.' Kevin L. Schwartz, Oriental Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences
Introduction; Connections; 1. Histories: from Tazkirah to literary history; 2. Erotics: from bawdy to bashfulness; 3. Origin myths: indigeneity and hybridity in national narratives; 4. Print: typography, orthography, punctuation; Conclusion.