Rifat Munim on Bangladeshi fiction: ‘This is a diverse terrain you are going to tread on’
In the foreword, I wanted to capture how I, as a child, grew up listening to different stories: ghost stories, mythical stories from both Sanatana and Islamic religious scriptures, and fairy tales from 'Thakurmar Jhuli', compiled by Dakkhinaranjan Mitra Majumdar. It was a time when there were no boundaries for my imagination.
The first semester is your shitty first draft
Like many veterans, I joined a creative writing MFA program because I wanted to evolve as a writer.
A glimpse of the Istanbul we don’t know
Here was a woman who was but a dot amidst the throngs of people who watched the Bosphorus Bridge being opened in October 1973, as fireworks erupted over a Turkey that now seamed Asia to Europe.
In conversation with South Asia’s preeminent literary agent, Kanishka Gupta
I always tell the authors to make subjective, qualitative decisions. So many of my authors say no to higher offers from publishing houses if they don’t feel comfortable with the publisher or editor.
A bookstore is a time machine—Zeenat Book Supply through the ages
Last week, one of Dhaka’s oldest bookstores announced that they will be closing shop after running for 60 years
Zeenat bookstore shuts its doors after 60 years
Zeenat Book Supply, a New Market staple for book lovers since 1963, will close shop on May 1, 2023.
Piracy a main reason for New Market’s Zeenat bookstore closing down
Zeenat Book Supply, a New Market staple for book lovers since 1963, will close shop on May 1, 2023.
The Birangona in poetry and conversation
Using a Fulbright fellowship, Tarfia decided to come to Bangladesh to research the war and interview the women whom the Bangladesh government, in 1972, titled Birangona (war heroines). These interviews resulted in 'Seam' (Southern Illinois University Press, 2014).
March 9, 2023
4 nonfiction books that unpack South Asian feminism with nuance
The collection comprises essays, poetry, short fiction, feature pieces, interviews, research reports, and photographs and artwork that explore the physical, psychological and political experiences of menstruation across South Asia.
February 9, 2023
The books you will meet at Dhaka Art Summit 2023
For those who are especially interested in literature in book form, the first two floors of the exhibition hold treasures.
January 14, 2023
Foreign literature is a very precious tool for peace
Daily Star Books’ panel on January 8, Day 4 of the Dhaka Lit Fest sought to take the audience to a more existential aspect of what the festival attempts to do. Who chooses which stories deserve to become books? Who chooses whether news of those books will even reach readers? Does book criticism truly help the flow and business of literature within and across national borders?
January 12, 2023
Three literary walks: Nilanjana Roy, Shehan Karunatilaka, Daisy Rockwell
With a Books page you're creating a running history of the ideas and the parallel history or the imagination of a country.
January 7, 2023
FIND US AT DHAKA LIT FEST THIS WEEK!
Media platforms that critique literature are, therefore, at the heart of the book ecosystem. They shape a book’s public perception and can bolster (or destroy) sales.
January 5, 2023
5 new books to start the new year with
Someone has to pay the price when traditions, community beliefs, and environmental issues are unheeded.
January 4, 2023
On curating Slam Poetry Nights for Dhaka Lit Fest tomorrow
The most moving part about these poetry sessions is the conversations.
December 15, 2022
Behind the scenes of the Dhaka Literary Festival 2023
Literature is our main area of interest.But we also want to highlight areas of intersection between literature and science, politics, pop culture, human rights, and new media.
December 11, 2022
Journalists need regular salaries, institutional support, says Nadeem Qadir at book launch
Qadir’s book includes insight on the origins and evolution of journalism in Bangladesh, firsthand experiences of journalists who have struggled and resigned from large media houses, research and case studies, and proposed solutions.
December 3, 2022
Unpacking the craft of creative writing
If you are reaching out to an agent, go and find out exactly what sort of work that agent publishes. Also, think in terms of what would differentiate your work with the work of 39 other authors.
X