Must reads out from Bangladesh in 2020

WATER BODIES

(Nokta Arts/ Boobook)

Nabil Rahman

Art & Poetry

The 40 poems and photographs of wooden sculptors in Water Bodies reflect poet-artist Nabil Rahman's experiences with art, immigration, intergenerational trauma, artificial intelligence, spirituality, and more.

BENGALI SETTLEMENT IN BRITAIN

(University Press Limited)

Faruque Ahmed

History

Over 100 years before the granting of Bengal's Dewani to the British, Bengalis began taking up jobs as sailors in the British East India Company's ships. The second half of the 19th century saw educated Bengalis travelling to Britain for higher studies. Today, their descendants—British-Bengalis—hold esteemed positions in British business and politics. Ahmed's research traces 400 years of Bengali migration to Britain, and their forgotten stories of triumph and despair.

PANDEMIC! COVID-19 SHAKES THE WORLD

(Oitijjo)

Slavoj Zizek, translated into the Bangla by Dr Muhammad Masud Alam

Non-Fiction

The coronavirus will overturn the foundations of our lives; not only will it bring unbounded misery, but it will also bring about the worst economic catastrophe since the Great Depression. There is no way back—we have to pave a new way forward and make adjustments in our healthcare system. Simply writing it off as a tragedy in our quest to return to normalcy will not do. We must ask: Where were the flaws in our system that we fell into this disaster despite repeated warnings from scientists? More on this in Zizek's book, now available in Bangla.

AL MAHMUD-ER MOHAKABBO: E GOLPER SHESH NEI SHURU O CHILO NAH

(Shorolrekha Prokashon)

Al Mahmud

Poetry

Poet Al Mahmud's epic poem E Golper Shesh Nei Shuru O Chilo Nah fills up a large modern-day vacuum in the genre of Bengali epic poetry. With pre-historic stories as his subject, Mahmud explores the creation of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, their ascent, and Iblis' plot to have them banished from heaven. The book is edited by poet Abid Azam.