“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.
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.
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"
Review of ‘Apni Ki Alien Dekhte Chan?’ (Afsar Brothers, 2024) by Wasif Noor
Over the past couple of decades, Bangladesh has witnessed three significant social and political movements that have shaped the course of its history.
“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.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not endorse or condone any form of abuse or exploitation.
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.
His written language came close to spoken language due to the primitive and original style of Bengali syntax—simple sentence structures.
Studios seem to think female characters need to be glossed with a “zany” and “feisty” persona in order to be relevant.
Writers and intellectuals are obligated to stir moral indignation at gross injustices and the plight of the masses.
The personal space is the same as the political sphere, the individual on the same strand as the collective.
Glory is narrated by a vivid chorus of animal voices, while Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies is partly told by the malevolent cancer travelling through the body of protagonist Lia.
An engaging discussion on translations unfolded at the event.
Ali Riaz has tried to determine the current political trends as well as trends that may emerge in the future with his keen insight.
As I have grown older, my mind is calmer but it’s a void now, empty of any voice.
When I stood at the Mohakhali bus terminal on that winter noon of 6th February, I did not know what to expect from the journey that lay ahead. I only knew that I was out to explore some unknown history of the Liberation War of Bangladesh, to dig out some unsung heroes who are still outcasts in the history books.
Rabindranath Tagore and Begum Rokeya are two iconic figures in South Asian literature and culture. However, their genius was not confined to writing alone but spread in many directions, including the sphere of education.
