A Critical-Analytical Study of Magical Realist Technique in Mirza Athar Baig’s Novel Zero Se Aik Tak

Abstract

Magical realism, a technique that originated in painting in the late twentieth century, later gained worldwide popularity in literature. Its literary prominence is largely attributed to One Hundred Years of Solitude, through which the mode achieved international recognition. Magical realism is a prose technique grounded in realism; however, it incorporates magical and extraordinary events into a realistic narrative in such a seamless manner that these events appear natural and acceptable within the represented world. Although magical realism may resemble traditional realism in narrative structure, it differs fundamentally through the inclusion of supernatural, mythical, and fantastical elements that coexist with reality without disrupting the realistic framework. Magical realism is broadly categorized into two types: epistemological magical realism and ontological magical realism. J. A. Cuddon, one of the major theorists of magical realism, has identified several

defining elements of this mode. Using these elements as a theoretical framework, the present study critically examines Mirza Athar Baig’s novel Zero Se Aik Tak. The analysis demonstrates that the novel fulfills the principal characteristics of magical realism, including the fusion of real and imaginary worlds, the use of dreams, mysterious forms of knowledge, supernatural elements, subjective interpretations of time, meta-reality in narration, wonder-inducing motifs, and ambiguity.Furthermore, since the novel draws its thematic material from scientific knowledge and Pakistani cultural contexts, it aligns closely with the recognized categories of magical realism and establishes itself as a significant example of magical realist fiction in contemporary Urdu literature.

References:

1.Bowers, Maggie Ann. Magic(al) Realism. London: Routledge, 2004, p. 1.

2.Malik, Abdul Aziz. Urdu Afsanay Mein Jadui Haqiqat Nigari. Faisalabad: Misal Publishers, 2014, p. 25.

3.Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. USA: Oxford University Press, 2008, p. 210.

4.Malik, Abdul Aziz. Urdu Afsanay Mein Jadui Haqiqat Nigari, p. 25.

5.Morris, William, ed. The American Heritage Dictionary. 5th ed. Boston, Massachusetts, 1969.

6.Simpkins, Scott. “Sources of Magical Realism / Supplements to Realism in Contemporary Latin American Literature.” In Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community, edited by Lois Parkinson Zamora and Wendy B. Faris. New York: Duke University Press, 1995, p. 149.

7.Abbas, Muhammad. “Jadeed Urdu Afsanay Mein Tilsmi Haqiqat Nigari.” PhD diss., Al-Khair University, Islamabad, 2016, p. 20.

8.Javed, Khalid. Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Karachi: Shehrzad, July 2010, p. 91.

9.Abbas, Muhammad. “Jadeed Urdu Afsanay Mein Tilsmi Haqiqat Nigari,” p. 30.

10.Warnes, Christopher. Magical Realism and the Postcolonial Novel: Between Faith and Irreverence. UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009, p. 13.

11.Malik, Abdul Aziz. Urdu Afsanay Mein Jadui Haqiqat Nigari, p. 20.

12.Cuddon, J. A. Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. UK: Penguin Books, 1998, pp. 488–489.

13.Waqar, Arif. “Zero Se Aik Tak.” BBC Urdu, November 6, 2010. Accessed March 10, 2026. https://www.bbc.com/urdu/pakistan/2010/11/101106_zero_to_one_rwa⁠

14.Sabir, Sajeela. Mirza Athar Baig ki Novel Nigari: Fikri wa Fanni Jaiza. MPhil thesis, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, 2013, p. 124.

15.Baig, Mirza Athar. Zero Se Aik Tak. Lahore: Sanjh Publications, 2009, p. 54.

16.Ibid., p. 49.

17.Ibid., p. 304.

18.Farooq, Muhammad. “Aikisween Sadi ke Aham Urdu Novels aur Fikri Mailanat.” Alhamd Urdu Research Journal, no. 22 (December 30, 2024). Accessed April 4, 2026. https://share.google/o2CN0RJRFCQwmKwH8⁠

19.Baig, Mirza Athar. Zero Se Aik Tak, p. 186.

20.Ibid., p. 55.

21.Ibid., p. 72.

22.Ibid., p. 333.

23.Hafeez, Nadia, and Dr. Arif Hussain. “Mirza Athar Baig ki Novel Nigari ‘Zero Se Aik Tak’ ka Fikri aur Fanni Jaiza.” Jahan-e-Tahqeeq 6, no. 4 (2023): 307.

24.Baig, Mirza Athar. Zero Se Aik Tak, p. 374.

25.Ibid., p. 378.

26.Ibid., p. 42.

27.Ibid., p. 350.

28.Ibid., p. 131.

29.Narang, Gopi Chand. Sakhtiyat, Pas-Sakhtiyat aur Mashriqi Sheriyat. Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2016, pp. 159–167.

30.Baig, Mirza Athar. Zero Se Aik Tak, p. 177.

31.Ibid., p. 285.

32.Ibid., p. 305.

33.Ibid., p. 358.

34.Ibid., p. 246.

35.Ibid., p. 127.

36.Ibid., p. 125.

37.Ibid., p. 230.

38.Ibid., p. 303.

39.Ibid., p. 317.

40.Ibid., p. 10.

41.Ibid., p. 49.

42.Ibid., p. 314.

43.Ibid., p. 376.

44.Yaqoob, Qasim. “Novel Mein Nai Technique aur Tajribat.” Adbiyāt, nos. 21–22. Islamabad: Academy of Letters, 2019, p. 97.

45.Baig, Mirza Athar. Zero Se Aik Tak, p. 170.

46.Ibid., p. 310.

47.Ibid., p. 279.

48.Ibid., p. 120.

49Ibid., p. 121.