- Wali Alam Shaheen is considered "one of the top-ranking modern poets in the Urdu-speaking world", specially known for his “uncommon brilliance and linguistic innovation” (Ariel in Dawn, Karachi, April 12, 1984).
- Author of six volumes of poetry: rag-e-saaz, baynishaan, dehleez per phool, khula darwaaza, pushtaara, shabnasheen, and zar-e-daagH (due Spring 2021). Another book with critical appreciation and English translation of his poems, some previously uncollected, appeared in a bilingual text under the title Dreams and Destinations: Shaheen and His Poetry, edited, with an introduction, by Nuzrat Yar Khan.
- Senior Editor of the book Across Continents.
- Edited Urdu Canada, a tri-annual English language journal of studies in Urdu literature.
- Shaheen has also contributed to The Canadian Encyclopedia (Historica-Dominion Institute).
- His poems, in original as well as in translation, have been widely anthologized, in a variety of publications, including Ghazalabad (Alqamar Enterprises, Lahore), Rang-e-Ghazal (Packages Limited, Lahore), Pakistani Adab (Academy of Letters, Islamabad), Symbiosis (Girol Books, Ottawa, Canada) Windhorse Reader: Choice Poems of 1994 (Samurai Press, Yarmouth, NS, Canada), and Ekeeswin Sadi ki Ghazlein (Nirali Dunia Publications, New Delhi), to name a few.
- Literary magazines like Afkar, Tawaazun, Sabras, Shabkhoon, Esbaat, Naya Safar, Ilm-o-Adab, Aamad, Mafaaheem, Mukalama, Sabaq e Urdu and Chaharsu have specially featured his poetry, at times accompanied by a critical appreciation by eminent critics.
- Included in Prof. Wahab Ashrafi’s Taareekh-e-Adab-e-Urdu (History of Urdu Literature), vol. 3, pp. 1734-37.
- In Canada, his writings have appeared in Canadian Literature (UBC, Vancouver), The Toronto South Asian Review, Possibilities (Ottawa) Alter Vox , Arc Poetry Magazine, Urdu Canada, and South Asian Ensemble (Trenton).
- Mentioned in The Canadian Encyclopedia (Hurtig, 1988) and Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada (Edited by William H. New, University of Toronto Press, 2002).
- Quoted in The Canadian Dictionary of Quotations (Stoddart, 1991), Contact Canada (Oxford University Press, 1996), and Notre Canada (OUP, 1998)
- Bibliography included in The Canadian Ethnic and Native Literature (Univ of Toronto Press, 1990).
- His book Baynishaan was included in the Modern Urdu Literature curriculum of Ranchi University.
- A Ph.D. degree was granted in May 2017, at Vinoba Bhave University, Jharkhand, India, to a research scholar for his thesis titled “A Critical Study of Shaheen’s Poetry.”
- Shaheen has been interviewed on radio and television in Pakistan, India, Canada, and the USA. Voice of America aired in two instalments his interview (1998) focusing on his poetry and poetics under the program Adab aur Adeeb. He authored a 5-part “Literary Portrait of Pakistan” for Carleton University Radio CKCU FM 93.1 Third World Players program produced by Lloyd Stanford.
- Awards: Among others, Altaf Hussain Hali World Urdu Award, 1988 World Urdu Conference, New Delhi; Gahwara-e-Adab Award, 2003, with citation from Governor of Sindh, Pakistan; Uttar Pradesh Hindi-Urdu Sahitya Award 2009; Indian Cultural Society, New Delhi, 2009 Mir Taqi Mir Award; National Federation of Pakistani-Canadians (NFPC) Award, 2018, for “truly outstanding and selfless services to our community,” and CPA Lifetime Achievement Award, 2019.
- Actively participated in numerous literary events and presented readings and/or papers at international conferences, including those in Mauritius, U. S. A., Canada, U. K., and India.
- Elected for the fourth time, Shaheen was the 2012-2013 Chair of the Race Issues Committee of The Writers Union of Canada. TWUC’s website www.writersunion.ca may be seen for details.
- A statistician by profession, Wali Alam Shaheen held many positions, notably, Lecturer in Statistics at Marwari College, Bhagalpur (1960-64), Asst. Statistician, Pakistan Tea Board (1964-66), Head of the Statistics Division, Adamjee Jute Mills Ltd, Dhaka (1966-71), Asst. Director (R & I), Monopoly Control Authority, Islamabad (1972-73). He also served the Federal Government of Canada for 20 years (1974-94), latest as Policy & Costing Advisor with Transport Canada in Ottawa.
- Shaheen also volunteered his services at The Writers’ Union of Canada, NCARR, OMA, OCISO, etc.
- Shaheen’s first poetry collection rag-e-saaz (1967) was published under his then pen name “Shaheen Ghazipuri”; he was born in Ghazipur, a village in Munger district of Bihar, India.
Email: washaheen@hotmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/walialam.shaheen
H: 613-692-2758
C: 613-277-9620
Mailing address: Wali Alam Shaheen, 1328 Potter Drive, Manotick, Ontario, K4M 1C6, Canada
