THE AUTOBIOGRAPHIES OF URDU LANGUAGE FEMALE POETESSES

Abstract

This study examines the autobiographies of Urdu language female poetesses as a significant yet critically marginalized subgenre of Urdu literature. Drawing on a qualitative research design, the study employs close textual reading and thematic analysis informed by feminist literary criticism and life-writing theory. The research analyzes selected autobiographical texts to explore how Urdu female poetesses construct literary selfhood, articulate creative consciousness, and negotiate socio-cultural constraints within patriarchal contexts. The findings reveal that these autobiographies function not merely as personal life narratives but as powerful literary, cultural, and ideological texts that foreground women’s voices, experiences, and resistance. The study highlights key themes such as identity formation, gendered marginalization, the interconnection between life experience and poetic expression, and the blurring of private and public spheres. Furthermore, it establishes that these autobiographies serve as alternative socio-cultural and literary histories, challenging male-dominated canonical narratives of Urdu literature. By collectively examining these texts as a distinct literary phenomenon, the study contributes to feminist historiography and calls for a more inclusive and balanced understanding of Urdu autobiographical and poetic traditions.