Taufiq Rafat

Taufiq Rafat (25 October 1927 – 2 August 1998) was a Pakistani author and poet, active in English language. His work influenced other Pakistani poets and he is credited with the introduction of the concept of a "Pakistani idiom" in English literature. He translated several works from Punjabi literature into English, including the epic of Puran Bhagat by Qadir Yar and the poetry of Punjabi Sufi poet Bulleh Shah, which was published by the Oxford University Press.

Born and raised in Sialkot in 1927 in a Punjabi family, Taufiq has been called as Ezra Pound of Pakistan for his modernist style that includes a naturalist view. Rafat conducted poetry workshops, which influenced many younger poets. After surviving a stroke in 1984, he stopped writing. Taufiq died fourteen years later in 1998 at the age of 71 in Lahore.

Translations In 2016, his translation of the classical Punjabi poet Bulleh Shah was published by Oxford University Press.