Siddique Alam is a novelist, short story writer, critic, playwright, and poet. He was born in Purulia, West Bengal, India, in 1952 and currently lives in Calcutta. He completed degrees in English literature and law and began writing fiction in 1972. Read More He has published five collections of short stories, four novels, and a collection of poems, as well as fifty-five uncollected stories published in different literary magazines in India and Pakistan. One of the finest voices in contemporary Urdu fiction, Alam is acclaimed for pioneering the use of fantastic elements in Urdu fiction and is acknowledged for his use of innovative and experimental methods as a playwright. His short stories have been translated into a number of languages in India and included in prestigious anthologies.