A tale of sordid emotions

Noted French writer Claudine Le Tourneur d'lson’s fictional biography, Hira Mandi, based on the life story of Iqbal Husain, the son of a Hira Mandi courtesan, connects to the English-speaking world with its first-ever translation by Delhi-based Roli Books. The novel, originally written in French in 2006, is now on sale in India.

Noted French writer Claudine Le Tourneur d'lson’s fictional biography, Hira Mandi, based on the life story of Iqbal Husain, the son of a Hira Mandi courtesan, connects to the English-speaking world with its first-ever translation by Delhi-based Roli Books.

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The novel, originally written in French in 2006, is now on sale in India. Claudine describes the book as her “love affair with the people of Hira Mandi, with whom she had spent weeks in Lahore”.

The Hira Mandi of the courtesans does not exist now, but the author brings it alive in her book.