A case for funding the Bangladeshi English-writing scene

Monica Ali, Tahmima Anam, and Zia Haider Rahman have put Bangladesh on the "mainstream" literary map. By "mainstream", I refer to the publishing industries in the US and the UK. There are newcomers, too, such as Arif Anwar (author of The Storm, published in the US by Atria), Rahad Abir (author of Bengal Hound, published in the US by Gaudy Boy) and Nadia Kabir Barb (author of Truth & Dare, published in the UK by Renard Press). 

A significant portion of millennial and Gen Z Bangladeshis are now pursuing literary arts (both in academia and the creative fields) in English. Consider, for instance, literary platforms like Six Seasons Review and Small World City that seek fresh new writing in English from aspiring and established Bangladeshi writers. Moreover, the shortlistings of authors Shagufta Sharmeen Tania and Arman Chowdhury in the Commonwealth Short Story Prize are testaments to the growing popularity of the English language among Bangladeshi writers.

I am aware that, to many readers, this article will seem to bear Anglophone connotations. However, I am writing from this perspective because writers writing in Bangla are already given opportunities by the Bangladeshi literary industry in the forms of various prizes.

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In light of these developments, I observe a bleak reality: English writers living within Bangladesh are not exposed to opportunities that could help them grow in their creative writing pursuits. They are already having to navigate a precarious economic reality as costs of living rise across the country. Investing their incomes from full time jobs into writing endeavours seems like a luxury not accessible to many Bangladeshi writers. As such, government-sponsored, and even privately-sponsored funds and grants to aspiring novelists, poets, and authors of non-fiction books could go a long way in facilitating ideal writing conditions for many.

For example, India's famous Toto Funds The Arts Awards promote aspiring creative writers by funding the winners with Rs 50,000. In Sri Lanka, the Gratiaen Prize is given to the best English novels written by Sri Lankan residents. The Kwani Manuscript Prize offers 525,000 Kenyan Shillings to African writers to develop their unpublished, novel-length manuscripts. Similarly, Arts Council England and Arts Council Northern Ireland provide bursaries and residencies for writers as they work on their manuscripts with much-needed distance and break from their full-time jobs. Winner of the 2023 Booker Prize, Paul Lynch, is a recipient of the latter grant as a writer-in-residence at Maynooth University. As a result, English literature pouring out of these regions has had tremendous success locally and globally.

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Replication of these models will help usher in a new wave of creative writers (writing both in Bangla and English) from Bangladesh. Since creative writing remains an essential form of expression to highlight the complex realities of a society, I believe it's important for the Bangladeshi government and private entities to generously invest in the literary arts. Moreover, funding the literary arts also bears the potential of enriching a unique Bangladeshi literary landscape across novels, short stories, films, plays, poems, and journalism that have a distinct Bangladeshi voice regardless of the language. Beyond literature, creative writing also arms an individual with language, which comes in handy in multiple aspects of our lives. With this tool, one can write their entangled and elusive thoughts into being, inching towards clarity and conviction.

I believe Bangladeshis have many unique stories to tell. The country is a rich tapestry of stories waiting to tumble out of cobwebbed chambers. Most importantly, as a country, we need language now more than ever to create dialogue across a divisive sociopolitical terrain and narratives that capture the essence of living as a Bangladeshi in the present moment. If the country's literary potential is not given generous support, we may never create favourable conditions for aspiring writers to devote time and energy to the art. We may dangerously lag behind in fabulously voicing out before the world our unique experiences and desires.

Shah Tazrian Ashrafi's debut book of literary fiction, The Hippo Girl, was published by Hachette India in February 2024.