fiction

Bulb of a Wonton Shop

It is enough— Enough to be here, Beneath the bulb of a wonton shop.

Out of Body

I know of my feeble frame of its graying at the edges.

Migratory Animals

migratory animal Are you looking for a home?

FICTION / The plebeians in the twilight

It was the shade of the ashwath that vanquished all one’s weariness from the fiery heat of Choitro. Or else it was not possible for fatigue to be eliminated so quickly.

FICTION / The vanishing Ramanujan

The night after the story got published, Jamal stormed to my home at around 11 PM, drenched in the rain. That was the first and only time Jamal raised his voice against me

Reader Submission / States

"That’s why I have jars of jealousy, anger, sadness, monotony, but this – it’s important."

Love poem for the reflection in the mirror

I will not even begin with the skies

FICTION / At the birth of death

One sits silently. Her eyes blink sometimes. Sometimes her lips tremble a little, or they don’t tremble at all.

FICTION / An interview with Shakchunni

Behind the bangles that jingle ominously in the dark, there is a voice—a voice that has long been silenced

September 8, 2022
September 8, 2022

Demons, Darkness, and the Story of a Girl

“Hello, good morning to you,” said one of the butterflies.

September 1, 2022
September 1, 2022

No country for honest men in Shahidul Zahir’s “Woodcutter and Crows”

Zahir uses crows as a symbol of magic realism, as found in local folklore, where animals serve as omens of luck both good and bad. The crows seem to bring bad luck to the couple, and wherever they go, the birds follow.

August 27, 2022
August 27, 2022

Rage is not singular for immigrants in Sabaa Tahir's novel

“What’s the word for when someone drinks so much, they are ruining your best friend’s life? Or the word for a man so vengeful about his own past that he wants to destroy your future? What’s the word for a woman who was sick for months, but refused to go to the doctor until it was too late?"

August 27, 2022
August 27, 2022

What to read if you liked watching ‘Hawa’

The film is a deep dive into Bangladesh’s rivers and the fishermen who hold up the country’s underbelly, along with the revelry, the mythologies that run across the folk culture of majhis and Bede communities. 

August 25, 2022
August 25, 2022

My Mother’s Shoes

I didn’t know the endings to most of the stories as I fell asleep halfway.

August 21, 2022
August 21, 2022

Warm Red

A portrayal of a complex psychology, "Warm Red" tells the story of a terribly insecure man.

August 20, 2022
August 20, 2022

‘Emily’ and creative freedom in literary biopics

It got me thinking that we are fascinated by the behind-the-scenes lives of our cultural obsessions, and the personal lives of authors can come to feel like public possessions just as much as their works. It is this sense of ownership that can risk conflict over films about literary icons. 

August 11, 2022
August 11, 2022

The Happiest Day in Ripon Shaheb’s Petty Life

Too much education gets into these girls’ heads.

August 4, 2022
August 4, 2022

Short Story Review: In “Lucky”, innocent lives encounter destructive politics

For me, the key takeaway from “Lucky” would be the perspective one can gain into living in the shadow of war, which creates around its victims a prison of undying misery.

July 30, 2022
July 30, 2022

Bookworm hosts reading session of "Aasma-i-Noor: The Cursed Jewel" by Sudipta Sen Gupta

The author shared about her life being an associate professor, teaching Management, raising two girls, and her love for writing over a cup of coffee and snacks.