Hasan Shah''s 1790 autobiographical novel tells the story of his ill-starred love for the
dancing girl Khanum Jan. Obtaining
a position as a munshi (clerk) to an Englishman, Ming Saheb, in Cawnpore (modern Kanpur), the young Hasan Shah also falls madly in love with one of the members of a touring group of dancers that has set up camp here.
Khanum Jan and Hasan Shah make plans to flee, but they are
unable to do so before the troupe''s departure.
It is regrettable that English translator Hyder saw fit to cut some of the sections that may have enhanced the love-story, such as the letters between Hasan Shah and his wife.
or "remuneration" misspelt as "renumeration".) Most of the narrative weaknesses are Hasan Shah''s shortcomings, mainly when he fails to explains why something happened or why he was unable to do something.