Shaheen (also known in print as Wali Alam Shaheen, W. A. Shaheen, and occasionally by his former pen name Shaheen Ghazipuri) is the author of five collections of Urdu poetry, including Pushtara which was published in 2010. He has been extensively translated, and his poems have appeared in more than a dozen anthologies. Shaheen is the senior editor of the book Across Continents that also includes his own article. He also edited Urdu Canada, a journal of studies in Urdu literature, published from Ottawa. Considered "one of the top-ranking modern poets in the Urdu-speaking world," (Ariel in Daily Dawn, Karachi), "Shaheen has a unique style of his own." (Prof. Mumtaz Hussain, 1984). Scores of other critics have spoken highly about his poetry and poetics. He has been interviewed by Voice of America and many other radio & tv channels. In Canada, Shaheen's poems have appeared in Canadian Literature, Toronto South Asian Review, Possibilitiis, Alter Vox, and Windhorse Reader: Choice Poems of 1994. Dreams and Destinations: Shaheen and his Poetry, edited by Nuzrat Yar Khan, is a critical evaluation of his work, which also includes his poetry in translation. He is mentioned in Canadian Encyclopedia (Stoddart) and in Literature in Canada (ed. William H. New). Born India, 1938. Alumnus of Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada (M.Sc. Mathematical Statistics), and University of Bihar, Patna, India, (M.Sc. Statistics), he has been a Lecturer in Statistics at Marwari College, Bhagalpur, Bihar; Asst. Statistician, Pakistan Tea Board; Head of the Statistics Division, Adamjee Jute Mills Ltd.; and Assistant Director, Monopoly Control Authority,Islamabad. He also served Government of Canada for twenty years, latest as Policy Advisor, at Transport Canada in Ottawa.
For a recent review of his latest book Pushtara (2010), please click on:
http://jang.com.pk/thenews/sep2010-weekly/nos-05-09-2010/lit.htm
A feature in English on one of Shaheen's earlier collections, Dehleez Per Phool (2005), can be seen under the heading Literary Roundup by Hasan Abidi in the daily DAWN, Karachi of August 10, 2005 (http://DAWN.com).
