Books

Books

BOOK REVIEW: NONFICTION / The making of Bangladesh in the global sixties

“Mr Speaker Sir, what did Bangalee intend to achieve? What rights did Bangalee want to possess? We do not need to discuss and decide on them now [after independence]. [We] tried to press our demands after the so called 1947 independence. Each of our days and years with Pakistan was an episode of bloodied history; a record of struggle for our rights,” said Tajuddin Ahmad on October 30, 1972 in the Constituent Assembly. He commented on the proposed draft constitution for Bangladesh, which was adopted on November 4, 1972.

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BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / An outlandish jumble of cults, cannibalism, and colonial violence

Melissa Lozada-Oliva takes us on a bumpy apocalyptic horror ride in her debut novel Candelaria. Spanning across three generations of women, the novel ushers together an unsettled past and an even more bizarre present.

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ESSAY / 'A terrible beauty is born' in Gaza and West Bank

Pre-occupation Palestine had, to use Anglo-American poet WH Auden's words, "marble well-governed cities" full of "vines and olive trees." But Israel and its allies have turned it into "an artificial wilderness"

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BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / ‘Apni Ki Alien Dekhte Chan?’: A debut with immense possibility

Review of ‘Apni Ki Alien Dekhte Chan?’ (Afsar Brothers, 2024) by Wasif Noor

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BOOK REVIEW: NONFICTION / From protests to power: The journey to Bangladesh’s July Uprising

Over the past couple of decades, Bangladesh has witnessed three significant social and political movements that have shaped the course of its history.

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THE SHELF / Literature thrives beyond the centre too

“All literature is regional; or conversely, no literature is regional”—is a common sentiment to have today, but I had first read those lines from Joyce Carol Oates, in her preface to a book of stories by one of Canada’s most gifted storytellers, Alistair MacLeod. In MacLeod’s short stories, his Cape Breton Island was a refrain through which the momentous lives of his ordinary characters came through.

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ESSAY / Between tradition and taboo: The arranged marriage trope in Bangla dark romance literature

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not endorse or condone any form of abuse or exploitation.

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EVENT REPORT / Celebrating diversity and language at “Bhasha Utshob 2025”

Gulshan Society held a two-day language festival at the Gulshan Lake Park, curated by Sadaf Saaz and Jatrik. The event took place over the weekend of 21-22 February that saw discussion panels, original musical performances, and poetry recitations, surrounded by an array of book stalls and food courts.

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One Hundred Years of ‘Siddhartha’: One man’s journey to enlightenment

"Perhaps you cannot find what you are seeking, because you seek too much."

2y ago

Young writers and poets awarded by IFIC Bank and ‘Kali O Kalam’

The prestigious Kali O Kalam Torun Kabi O Lekhak Puroshkar 2022 was conferred on January 28 at an award ceremony at Bengal Shilpalay in Dhanmondi, Dhaka.

2y ago

SHOUTxDS Books presents 'Slam Poetry Nights' — Session 5

For its 5th session, SHOUTx DS Books’ Slam Poetry Nights performed at the Dhaka Lit Fest 2023.

2y ago

Why I disagree with ‘Bangaleer Mediocrityr Shondhane’, the book that got Adarsha banned from Boi Mela

Where Faham Abdus Salam calls Bengalis mediocre, in my soon-to-be-published book, Before You Shame My People, I see Bangladeshis as a highly promising nation of tortured people who, at the same time, have dissented against and been crushed by the powers of colonialism, imperialism, and an ancestral and oligarchical political system.

2y ago

The Russian novelist who predicted a nuclear apocalypse

Dmitry Glukhovsky says sales of his books depicting life in the Moscow Metro after a nuclear apocalypse have been booming since Russia put him on a "wanted" list for opposing the war in Ukraine and he was forced to flee abroad.

2y ago

Family of feelings: Iffat Nawaz's 'Shurjo's Clan'

Part memoir, part magical realism, this is a story about identity and the idea of home.

2y ago

On Prince Harry's memoir: Spare us the drivel, please

Harry’s dig at the paparazzi is the underlying theme of his life-story.

2y ago

Censorship in Boi Mela: A cause for concern?

Bangladesh needs to formulate a national book policy, as well as a comprehensive bibliography policy, alongside guidelines for the rights of authors and publishers, for contracts, and higher standards for editing and translating. 

2y ago

Kaamil Ahmed publishes ‘first book-length exploration’ of Rohingya lives abroad

I Feel No Peace is the latest in this string of books exploring the Rohingya experience. It offers, in particular, a narrative account of their history and their experience with NGOs and the UN. 

2y ago

15 to get Bangla Academy Sahitya Puroskar

Fifteen authors and writers were named today as the winners of the Bangla Academy Sahitya Puroskar-2022..They are Farook Mahmud and Tarik Sujat (poetry), Tapash Majumder and Parvez Hossain (novel), Masud Uzzaman (essay/research), Alam Khorshed (translation), Milon Kanti Dey and Farid Ahmed

2y ago