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

A history of this subcontinent, woven in jute

The book reveals how in mid-19th century colonial East Bengal jute first emerged “as a global commodity”

3y ago

Brecht’s poetry presented in delicious Bangla

“The process of translation is a rigorous delight. But the product? As a translator, you also always carry with you an anxious awareness of the ways in which you have fallen short. You have seen it, that, at least, you hope; but you have failed to carry it over.” - Tom Kuhn.

3y ago

Absurdism, reality, and Franz Kafka

Kafka’s world is chaotic. His stories, no matter how bizarre their plots, are always ones that we can connect to. 

3y ago

Rubaiya Murshed’s ‘Nobody’s Children’: UPL publishes book on struggles of street children

 Nobody’s Children is a collection of “ten real stories” of homeless children living without any of the support or privilege we take for granted.

3y ago

Durian Sukegawa’s ‘Sweet Bean Paste’: On second chances and the plight of leprosy patients

Sweet Bean Paste (2013) by Durian Sukegawa is a tale of friendship and redemption in an unforgiving society.

3y ago

Sally Rooney's conversations on suppressed female hysteria: A review of the adaptation

Sally Rooney is well known for transforming her novels into visually pleasing and satisfactory adaptations.

3y ago

Five books I would sell my soul to re-read for the first time

Honeyman gives Eleanor a personality beyond her mental illness.

3y ago

Boitoi and Walton hosting e-book fair

Boitoi, the largest e-book platform of Bangladesh, is organizing a 15-day ebook fair from June 16 to June 30. 

3y ago

Baatighar completes 17 years of readership

“We witnessed great footfall in the afternoon and are glad that people came to the celebrations even amidst this gloomy weather,” shared Zafar Ahmed Rashed, CEO and Chief Editor, about the first day of the event.

3y ago

Odds and Ends from a Poem on Odds and Ends

A pity, it began as a reflective study. A bird’s eye view of Kafka’s conundrum  Is a fallen leaf lost, or free? I slid a window wide open Found a dead moth crumpled on the sill.

3y ago