Novel and the Mapping of Human Existence

A novel examines not reality but existence. And existence is not what has occurred, existence is the realm of human possibilities, everything that man can become, everything he is capable of. Novelists draw up the map of existence by discovering this or that possibility, writes Milan Kundera. The panelists will discuss the various rudimentary aspects of the novel and also reflect on its significance as a medium to understand the complexities associated with the human existence.

About the panelists:

● Arshad Waheed is a novelist. He has written two novels “Guman” and “Other days”. He has translated two novels of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Milan Kundera, namely, ‘Love in the time of cholera‘ and ‘Immortality’. He has also translated a book of essays, ‘The art of the novel’ by Milan Kundera. He works as a social policy consultant in Islamabad.

● Waqas Masood currently heads the department of Physics COMSATS University, Islamabad. He is the winner of Salam Prize in Physics, 2009, recipient of the Presidential award of the Pride of performance, 2012. He is a regular associate of Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics and currently the vice president of Pakistan Physical Society. He has keen interest in literature and poetry.