fiction

FICTION / Dhaka in slow motion

The city still wants to breathe.

Reader Submission / Maybe a mirage

Something you may... You may never find again.

How to: live

My love always arrived wrapped in silence, wrapped in dust. But that was childhood.

Heart, cling to me

We will make meaning out of the holes in the sun

FICTION / In defense of disorder

At a gathering in the unfinished community hall, Saleha raises a question: "They gave us walls. But what do we want to grow inside them?"

BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / When the moon dances with elephants

In Lakshmi’s Secret Diary, Ari Gautier crafts a dazzling, multi-layered narrative that is as whimsical as it is profound.

FICTION / Metalheart

I know my engine is dying. I know that, by the time the next Eid rolls around, the busy little humans will have taken me apart to create something new.

FICTION / A sacrifice

When he was handing over the money to Naimuddin, their father, Kalam silently cried, holding Dholi’s neck in the yard.

INTERVIEW / Embracing the bizarre and ‘An Eye and a Leg’

The Asia regional winner of the 2025 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, Faria Basher, in an interview with The Daily Star, opens up about her journey from lifelong reader to emerging writer.

November 24, 2022
November 24, 2022

50 Questions to Ask Your Partner

"What would be an absolutely perfect afternoon to you?"

November 17, 2022
November 17, 2022

Ramayana's evil stepmother redeemed in Vaishnavi Patel's 'Kaikeyi'

As a debut novel, Patel has done a remarkable job in crafting a compelling story through her richly descriptive writing. However, there is room for critique within the core premise of the novel.

November 13, 2022
November 13, 2022

Himu taught me it was okay to not be normal

Himu not only made me look beyond goals that lead to a luxury of life, but he also taught me to enjoy the tiny bits that make life agreeable.

November 10, 2022
November 10, 2022

Homage To The Pawns

Eight mighty titans, unleashing their wrath!

November 10, 2022
November 10, 2022

UNFULFILLED DREAMS

Having a conversation with him was an arduous task.

November 9, 2022
November 9, 2022

Baatighar sale for Humayun Ahmed Boi Mela

Baatighar Humayun Ahmed Boi Mela 2022 will span from November 5 to 15.

November 4, 2022
November 4, 2022

Weike Wang's ‘Joan Is Okay’ tells the story of an antisocial millennial

Joan has always felt not American enough for America and not Chinese enough for China. As a transnational immigrant, even her work ethic is assessed in a dehumanising way.

November 4, 2022
November 4, 2022

Loneliness, and what I gained from a Creative Writing degree

The workshops were the sessions I’d look forward to. Someone actually reading your work, studying it, telling you what you do well, telling you what you can improve on, all phrased constructively (“I like this!” was a banned phrase). If you’re pursuing writing, workshopping—on some level or another—is what you’ll need.

October 30, 2022
October 30, 2022

‘Mismatched’: Stories of youth and love

Even with improvisations, the show feels like the book coming to life. The little scenes that have been picked straight from the pages hit very close to home.

October 29, 2022
October 29, 2022

Percy Jackson fans, mount your horses

The new book’s title, revealed to be Percy Jackson and The Chalice Of The Gods, will be out on September 26, 2023, the author confirmed via Twitter.