Dhaka Lit Fest

Event report / Discussion on power inequalities

As the guests arrived, the room brightened up and a conversation began that would eventually go on to deeply invest in exploring the nature of power and of defiantly opposing the status quo.

Book Review: Fiction / Homegrown heroine

This story, which originally began as a short story, features a headstrong heroine putting her desires above what society expects of her, in order to realise her destiny.

MY DHAKA / The pleasure of knowing your neighbourhood

Safe, vibrant public spaces are so rare in Dhaka that the months from January to early March feel like a gift from the universe when the Bangla Academy comes alive with the Dhaka Lit Fest, followed by the Dhaka Art Summit and the February extravaganza of the Ekushey Boi Mela. Since 2020, the Gulshan Book Fair has added to the series of treats for those of us who crave creative festivals in this city.

Lit Fest and Boi Mela: A linguistic, cultural apartheid?

Both the Dhaka Lit Fest and Ekushey Boi Mela offer sobering insights into the underlying socioeconomic challenges that have hamstrung Bangla publishing.

Amitav Ghosh visits ancestral home in Gopalganj

Ulpur village served as the seat of the Zamindari and Jagir of the Basu Roy Chowdhury family.

POETRY / On a Thursday on Kazi Nazrul Avenue

On a Thursday, I went back home, and I took a walk./ On the sidewalk, I saw a splash of maroon on a grey block.

BOOK NEWS / Hanif Kureishi's Twitter diary and why he couldn't make it to Bangladesh

"I realised I had to start again as a person and a writer. I had to become a comic writer, a serious writer, a writer who could integrate the madness and most interesting elements on the same page."

DHAKA LIT FEST 2023 HIGHLIGHTS / ‘Khandito Nazrul’: Why he is and should be relevant

The difficulty of translation is one of the reasons why Nazrul is not discussed as extensively as Tagore in the west.

FEATURE / The art of moderating literary conversations

Rifat Munim highlighted how a moderator can be a catalyst to an engaging dialogue between the panellists and the audience,

January 12, 2023
January 12, 2023

Three literary walks: Nilanjana Roy, Shehan Karunatilaka, Daisy Rockwell

With a Books page you're creating a running history of the ideas and the parallel history or the imagination of a country.

January 8, 2023
January 8, 2023

Dhaka Lit Fest closing: literature too can be a party

The last day of the 10th Dhaka Lit Fest today began on a calmer note.

January 8, 2023
January 8, 2023

‘I saved up and went to Dhaka Lit Fest’

Dhaka Lit Fest just completed its 10th anniversary and, like always, took place at Bangla Academy.

January 8, 2023
January 8, 2023

Mithila and Ayra’s African adventure

Yesterday, at a session in Dhaka Lit Fest, popular actress Rafiath Rashid Mithila talked about her experience of exploring Africa along with her daughter, Ayra. The session in question was a special children's session titled, "Adventures of Mom and Me". 

January 8, 2023
January 8, 2023

DHAKA LIT FEST, DAY 3: Big books, big ideas

Author and literary critic Nilanjana Roy moderated a session on "A World Without a Centre", with Nobel laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah, Bengali litterateur Amitav Ghosh, and novelist and political analyst Pankaj Mishra discussing how novels play a role in shaping a world that lives with the legacy of colonialism, and the of impacts of climate crises and technology.

January 6, 2023
January 6, 2023

Day 1 of Dhaka Lit Fest sees crowds, conversations

The first day saw a relaxed yet diverse range of topics covered in the sessions, from South Asian and world history to women’s rights, publishing, Bangla literature and film, and the legacy of BRAC founder Sir Fazle Hasan Abed.

January 4, 2023
January 4, 2023

Styling suggestions for the upcoming LIT FEST

5-8 January, 2023 is fun packed with the 10th edition of Dhaka Lit Fest (DLF), the biggest international literary festival in Bangladesh. The event will be held on the historic grounds of the Bangla Academy in Dhaka. If you are wondering what to wear during the festival, Star Lifestyle complied various looks to sport at the event.

January 1, 2023
January 1, 2023

'The VIP passes are a form of sponsorship', Dhaka Lit Fest says

Those who are paying for the BDT 10,000 tickets are allowing us to keep the student and general ticket prices at an affordable rate”, said Kazi Anis Ahmed.

December 26, 2022
December 26, 2022

Dhaka Lit Fest tickets to go on sale soon

Some attendees have raised questions over why one would hesitate to pay for a literary event if they already spend money on watching films and going to restaurants. Students, however, have expressed opposing views. 

December 15, 2022
December 15, 2022

Behind the scenes of the Dhaka Literary Festival 2023

Literature is our main area of interest.But we also want to highlight areas of intersection between literature and science, politics, pop culture, human rights, and new media.