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.

4m ago

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.

4m ago

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"

4m ago

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

4m ago

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.

5m ago

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.

5m ago

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.

5m ago

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.

5m ago

I write a name.—An ode to imagination

Imagination is the capacity to explore that "something else way down." 

2y ago

Short Story Review: In “Lucky”, innocent lives encounter destructive politics

For me, the key takeaway from “Lucky” would be the perspective one can gain into living in the shadow of war, which creates around its victims a prison of undying misery.

2y ago

At the Blums’—A review of 'The Netanyahus' by Joshua Cohen

Cohen’s book confidently deals with the comedy of the Jewish family.

2y ago

Did Western education really uplift the colonised Bengalis?

Paul argues that colonial education rather sowed discord and contributed to unequal divisions of labour between Hindus and Muslims.

2y ago

How BookTok motivated me to read again

It has made literary criticism—often regarded highbrow or excessively academic—feel accessible.

3y ago

Why I’m excited about ‘House of the Dragon’

Fire & Blood is the historical retelling of the reign of the Targaryens as told by the fictional Archmaster Gyldayn, and it is a compressed version of all the things that make A Song of Ice and Fire so fun.

3y ago

Bookworm hosts reading session of "Aasma-i-Noor: The Cursed Jewel" by Sudipta Sen Gupta

The author shared about her life being an associate professor, teaching Management, raising two girls, and her love for writing over a cup of coffee and snacks. 

3y ago

Nine times that books told us why overpopulation is scary

Despite the decelerating growth rate and with the country's population currently standing at 16.51 crore as opposed to just 14 crore in 2011—merely 10 years ago—overcrowding is still a massive cause of headache for most of us.

3y ago

Eight-year-old Rituraj writes Rokomari bestselling book

Proceeds from the book’s sales will be donated to charity foundations that work with underprivileged children. 

3y ago

Home-grown solutions for a global crisis: 'Rohingya Camp Narratives' launches at IUB

“Here one will find on state policy analysis and societal dynamics–exploring grey areas and bringing multidimensional analysis to the refugee crisis”, said Professor Dr Meghna Guhathakurta.

3y ago