The Blessed Curse

Fearing loss of their sexual potency, a closed circle of men in power embarks on a fabulous journey involving erotica, magical herbs, spiritual pimps, a virgin prostitute and a divine bird--to find the ultimate aphrodisiac for their masculinity. Their search carries symbolic overtones of Pakistan’s bizarre predicament and its nuclear ambitions in the global political arena. The Blessed Curse is a savage satire, blending the real and unreal; a topsy-turvy exposé of the country’s rulers in their corruption of religion, politics, and economy. The novel’s style carries the tradition of Punjabi humour, which is often dark, irreverent, and brutally frank.

Sarmad Sehbai is a playwright and director whose plays have been produced on television and in theatres throughout Pakistan. His tele-film Fankar Gali (Stand by Street, 1991) and documentary Moghuls of the Road (1999) have been variously screened in London, Moscow and Oslo. Bachon Ka Park (Children’s Park, 1989), his play on political prisoners, won the Pakistan Television Best Play Award. His dramatic adaptations of Saadat Hussan Manto, the most celebrated short story writer of Pakistan, have been televised on Pakistan Television and GEO TV. Three of his drama serials have been aired by leading channels of Pakistan (GEO TV 2007 and 2016) and Hum TV (2008). He has published two collections of plays and four collections of poetry in Urdu language. He lives in Connecticut, USA.