Bengali Literature

Manik Bandopadhyay's timeless works: A mirror to our frailties

On Manik Bandopadhyay’s 116th birth anniversary, his unsparing literary vision jolt us out of complacency with today's injustices.

Recollecting Bangladesh’s cinematic homage to Rabindranath

Rabindranath Tagore’s literary prowess extends far beyond the realm of literature. His creations have served as a beacon of inspiration for countless writers and poets who walked the path he paved.

#Perspective / Madhusudan Dutta: The writer who played with the gods

Hailed as the first modern poet and the first rebel poet of Bangla literature, Madhusudan’s rebellion against the conservative society and the contemporary style of literature was daring and the first step towards modern Bangla literature.

Home is where my books are

How do you pack 25 years of your life in two suitcases?

FEATURE / Begum Rokeya and Begum Sufia An enduring “mother-daughter” bond

Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932) and Begum Sufia Kamal (1911-1999), two icons in Bangla literature and culture, were not kins but kindred spirits.

The rebels of Madhusudan

Neeldhaja is the first Bangla poem to be written in the form of a letter; it places a female figure with a rebellious demeanor as the protagonist of a historical narrative.

Interview / ‘We are translators every day’: Arunava Sinha

You must read like a reader and not like an academic student. If the book you’re translating is a general book, it’s going to be read by readers. Intelligent readers perhaps, but readers nevertheless.

Where to start reading Samaresh Majumdar

Dipabali’s character in Satkahon said aloud what was on every girl’s mind.

‘The room by the window was Baba’s favourite’: Doel Majumdar

The last rites of the renowned writer, beloved by readers in both Bengals, was held yesterday.

July 24, 2022

How it feels when you can’t finish reading a book

As I have grown older, my mind is calmer but it’s a void now, empty of any voice.

July 21, 2022

‘The Great Bengali Poetry Underground’: More poets than crows

If this collection proves anything, then it’s that Bangalees will take to poetry like flies take to freshly cut mangoes on a hot summer day.

January 24, 2022

Pakistani artist illustrates Begum Rokeya's ‘Sultana’s Dream’

A designer and illustrator whose work focuses on human rights, feminism, and South Asian identity, Malik has just created an artwork based on Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain’s novella Sultana’s Dream (1905), which imagines a feminist utopia where women dominate the world of science, labour, and their homes.

December 2, 2021

Manoranjan Byapari's 'Imaan': Between the familiar and the alien

Through Imaan's interactions with the world outside of the central jail in Kolkata, we meet rickshaw pullers, street hawkers, and tea-stall owners, who belong mostly to the lowest strata of the society and come from highly marginalised caste and economic backgrounds.

November 25, 2021

IN MEMORY OF HASAN AZIZUL HAQUE: Two tales of violence from the hands of a master

Hasan Azizul Haque, who passed away on November 15, 2021, began his career with the publication of the short story “Shokun” in 1960, and since its publication till today, it has shocked and stupefied most readers who have found their way to this unique and masterfully crafted story—reading it is not an experience one forgets easily, or ever.

July 31, 2021

Shaheen Akhtar and Shabnam Nadiya’s ‘Beloved Rongomala’ to be published by Eka, Westland Publications

Shaheen Akhtar’s 'Beloved Rongomala', translated from the Bangla novel, 'Shokhi Rongomala' (Bengal Publications, 2015), by Shabnam Nadiya, will now be published by India’s Eka imprint of Westland Publications. The novel tells the story of Queen Phuleswari, a child bride, and of Rongomala, a woman of legend—a low caste mistress to the king who protested the limits to which her rights were confined by the class and caste prejudices of 18th century southern Bengal.

August 10, 2016