This fabulous tale … highlights the fault lines of caste, gender, and sexuality that have only been leveraged to propagate differences, never to spread love. 

- Saurabh Sharma, The Hindu

In his fictionalized biography of the Sufi poet, Shah Hussain, Sarbpreet Singh transports his readers to the lanes and the by-lanes of 16th-century Lahore, wonderfully re-creating a lost world of mysticism, love, music and poetry. Singh's novel is bound to stand apart as a brilliant work of historical fiction — an extraordinary effort that makes a reader relive history while simultaneously undertaking a spiritual journey of love in its purest form. 

- Argha Kr Banerjee, The Telegraph

In a gentle, but mindful way, author Sarbpreet Singh unravels the mysterious beauty of transcendental love and faith. Without being theatrical, he brings to life the ways of the 16th century Sufi, and weaves this legend around prose and poetry. Singh's fascination for detail adds to the charm of the story, making it instructional and addictive. 

- Lamat R Hasan, The Hindustan Times

What a book this is—the prose is like poetry; the poetry reads like the song; and the story flows like the Ravi River that lies between Hussain and his beloved Madho, a Brahmin boy, dividing them, till they decide to become one.

- Sathya Saran, The New Indian Express

The Sufi's Nightingale is delightful in those parts that concern history and wonderfully aching in the ones that speak of the yearnings of love.

- Soni Wadhwa, Asian Review of Books

This well-researched and magnificently crafted book would appeal to a variety of readers (and) would also strike a chord with young South Asian queer folks looking for pre-colonial and non-Western queer narratives and icons to affirm their existence.

- Chintan Girsih Modi, Open Magazine

In Sarbpreet Singh's hands, the poet's life and world come alive with a charming subtlety and elegance, elevating the small details and everydayness of a Sufi's life, as much as its raptures and leaps of faith and emotion. This is historical fiction at its finest. 

- Manu Pillai, Sahitya Academy honoree and author of The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore

It feels like Sarbpreet Singh wrote this novel sitting on the bank of the river that is Sufi Qalam or perhaps between this river and the river of our music. The core of Punjabi culture emphasizes love over tradition or norms. The Sufi's Nightingale novel is an ode to this sentiment.

- Dr. Surjeet Patar, Sahitya Academy Award winning poet and writer.

Contributes to the oeuvre of writings which explore the subversive elements in the fabric of pre-colonial India. It is a testament to the perennial Sufi spirit which transcends its 16th century ethos to enliven the readers' curiosities about poetry and pleasure in the quagmire of life.

- Dr. Disha Pokhriyal, The Book Review

A remarkable novel which not only recreates the medieval era of the lost Punjab with authenticity, but also tells a tender story of love and longing in which the intensity is such that the lover and the loved become one.

- Nirupama Dutt, The Hindustan Times

Sarbpreet Singh's The Sufi's Nightingale is a glowing piece of historical fiction which almost falls into the category of hagiography.

- Rajeev Anand Kushwah, Feminism in India

This captivating book transports readers to the mystical world of 16th-century Punjab, where the Sufi mystic and poet Shah Hussain's life unfolds in a tale of love, spirituality, and profound human connection.

- Puneet Kaur Thind, The Tribune

Singh's involvement and investment in the story can be felt in each word soaked in the ethos of that era, which offers a glimpse into the life of a Sufi saint and his disciples. The elegant text intoxicates and instructs in turns and takes the reader into the 16th century Lahore where Shah Hussain lived and taught: a world where love flourished and overcame the jealousy that crossed its path.

- Rana Safvi, columnist, writer, and historian; author of In Search of the Divine and The Forgotten Cities of Delhi.

Possibly the finest translations of Shah Hussain ever. … Working with the principles of metaphor and metonymy, the author has created condensations and displacements that are the finest I have come across.

- Dr. Madan Gopal Singh, composer, singer, actor, screenwriter, film theorist and polyglot.

A Raqs of elemental forces; this is a tale of transcendental love woven around poetry and prose with confidence and tenderness

- Farah Bashir, author of Rumours of Spring

A miraculous, spell-binding and mesmerizing novel which digs deep into the oral history of an amazing poet, whose writings simmer with separation and intense love.

- Zubair Ahmad author of Grieving for Pigeons; two time winner of the Dahan Prize

Send to literary journals for review in advance of publication

Currently booking the author for literary festivals and university appearances for 2026