The cost of lost integrity in Osama Siddique’s ‘Ghuroob-e-Shehr Ka Waqt’ and ‘Snuffing Out the Moon’

Osama Siddique is a writer, legal scholar, and educator based in Pakistan. He has written two novels, the first – Snuffing Out the Moon – in English and the recent – Ghuroob-e-Shehr Ka Waqt – in Urdu.

His first unfolds across six eras in South Asia, from the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro to a dystopian future in 2084. The novel was later translated into Urdu as Chand ko gul karein to hum janein. His second, Ghuroob-e-Shehr Ka Waqt (The Time of the Setting City), is Siddique’s first work originally written in Urdu (an English translation is in the works). A poignant exploration of Lahore’s decline and resilience, it blends lyrical storytelling with sharp societal critique. Both richly imagined narratives traverse time, culture, and history opening a visceral, immersive world where despair and romance intertwine with sharp societal critique.

Transcending conventional genre boundaries

Difficult to categorise, these novels shift seamlessly between historical fiction, speculative narrative, and intimate human drama, transcending conventional genre boundaries. Each novel, while distinct, complements the other like two panels of a diptych, together forming a unified whole that bridges language, form, and genre to engage in a dialogue that extends across eras and borders.

At the core of Ghuroob-e-Shehr Ka Waqt lies the decline of Lahore – a portrayal both intimate and grand,…

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