Navdeep Suri brings Nanak Singh’s powerful Partition narratives to modern readers

Novelist Nanak Singh, among the enduring writers of modern Punjabi literature, was more than a witness to the history he wrote about. He lived through the upheavals he chronicled in his novels and short stories, including colonial repression, the freedom struggle, nationalism and Partition. By transforming lived reality into fiction and writing truth through storytelling, he turned the personal and historical trauma of Partition into powerful literature.

Now, his grandson, Navdeep Suri is reintroducing Nanak Singh’s literature to modern readers through English translations, in a literary space where Punjabi regional writing remains underrepresented. The latest translation is ‘A Game of Fire’ (originally Agg Da Khed), a novel written in 1948. Translated from Punjabi by Navdeep Suri, the book received the Jury’s Special Commendation at the Muse India-GSP Rao Translation Awards 2025. This is the fourth work by Nanak Singh translated by Navdeep Suri, following ‘Hymns in Blood’, ‘The Watchmaker’ (originally Pavitra Paapi), ‘A Life Incomplete’ (Adh Khidiya Phool), and the acclaimed poem ‘Khooni Vaisakhi’.

This recognition is significant because the award specifically honours excellence in literary translation into English from Indian languages. It is associated with Muse India, a respected platform for Indian literature, criticism and translation. The award helps bring regional language authors into national and international literary conversations through English translations.

The book, ‘A Game of Fire’, considered a sequel to ‘Hymns in Blood’, is centred on Partition, like many of Nanak Singh’s works, and explores themes of trauma, displacement, communal violence, colonialism and the fragility of humanity through fictional characters.

Set in Amritsar during the violent division of borders and the breakdown of social harmony, the story resonates universally, especially today, when polarised narratives around ethnicity, religion, nationalism and migration continue to shape societies across the world. The award celebrates both Navdeep Suri’s achievement as a translator and the relevance of Nanak Singh’s literature.