South Asian Popular and Pulp Fiction Exhibits

Exhibit: Ibne Safi: Cover Art Across Editions

If Ibne Safi's stories remain unchanged across various editions published through time then how do we account for their (at times wild) rebranding?

The focus of this page is to consider how expectations about Urdu speaking audiences through time might have impacted the covers of these books across editions, and how these expectations might manifest certain cultural landscapes in turn. As you peruse the images please consider the guiding questions found on the "Cover Art Across Translation" page.


Comparison 1

Sah rangī maut (The Tri-colored Death) by Ibne Safi


New Delhi: Farīd Buk Ḍipo Prāʼīveṭ Limiṭeḍ, 2014
Kārachi: Isrār Pablīkayshanz, 1971

Comparison 2

Tin sankī (The Three Crazy Men) by Ibne Safi


New Delhi: Farīd Buk Ḍipo Aplāʼīḍ Būks, 2014
Kārachi: Isrār Pablīkayshanz, 1975

Comparison 3

Reshoṉ kī yalg̲ẖār (The Attacks of the Fibers) by Ibne Safi


Dihlī: Kitāb Vālā, 2016
Kārachi: Isrār Pablīkayshanz, 1975

Comparison 4

Dūsrī ānkh (The Second Eye) by Ibne Safi


New Delhi: Farīd Buk Ḍipo Prāʼīveṭ Limiṭeḍ, 2014
Kārachi: Isrār Pablīkayshanz, 1966