Culture is the producer and determining source of meaning. Literary tradition takes part in making the way for new genres. While writing even in an 'imported' genre one cannot escape one' s own culture and literary tradition. Culture helps construing meaning and it also structures the limits for the writer in shape of values and themes. Literary tradition very much determines the techniques and tools even for new 'imported' genres. This imposition of limits of imagination is discussed with the analysis of an historical novel of Abdul Haleem Sharar here.