Khaleel-Ur-Rehman Azmi

Khaleel-Ur-Rehman Azmi, also known as Khalil al-Rehman Azmi, was born in the year 1927. He was an Urdu poet and literary critic who were born in the village Seda Sultanpur in the district of Azamgarh.

Early Life of Khaleel-Ur-Rehman Azmi
Azmi`s father Muhammad Shafi was a deeply religious man. Azmi matriculated from Shibli National High School in Azamgarh in 1945. He gained his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1948 and his Master of Arts in Urdu language from Aligarh Muslim University. During this period he tutored the British scholar of Urdu, Ralph Russell. He also gained his Doctor of Philosophy in Urdu in 1957 from Aligarh Muslim University for a dissertation entitled: Urdu Mein Tarraqipasand Adabi Tahrik.

In the year 1952 he became a Lecturer in Aligarh Muslim University`s Department of Urdu. Four years later he became a Reader and continued in that role until his death from leukaemia in 1978. He was posthumously elevated to the rank of Professor.

He started writing during his early school days and composed poems for Payami Taleem, a children`s literary magazine. Proficient in both prose and poetry, he was one of the pioneers of Modernism in Urdu and was also aligned with the Progressive Writers Movement. He received the Ghalib Award for Urdu Poetry in 1978.

Work and Contributions of Khaleel-Ur-Rehman Azmi
Kaghzi Pairahan (1953): a collection of poetry, nazms and ghazals.
Naya Ahad Nama (1965): a collection of poetry, nazms and ghazals.
Nai Nazm Ka Safar (edited): a collection of Urdu poetry from 1936 to 1972
Fikr-o-Fan (1956)
Zawiay-e-Nigah (1966)
Mazameen-e-Nau (1977): a work of literary criticism
Muqaddama-e-Kalam-e-Aatish
Taraqqi Pasand Tahreek (1965)
Urdu Mein Taraqqi Pasand Adabi Tahreek (1972)