fiction

Fiction / Box office nation

When Mr. Vik Roman looked at the time with flinching eyes, it was around 3:30 am.

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.

November 23, 2024
November 23, 2024

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.

November 15, 2024
November 15, 2024

An interview with Shakchunni

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

November 9, 2024
November 9, 2024

Leave of absence

“Residents usually get 30 days of observation period,” said the man at the reception, “but since it’s a leap year, you get an extra day.

November 6, 2024
November 6, 2024

The hawk and the mice

Bolstered, the six little mice lead their army up–up–up the trunk of the poor, ravaged oak they were so desperate to save. 

November 2, 2024
November 2, 2024

Ira in my town

After many years, Ira has returned to my town. She hops four towns to get here. We are supposed to meet today. I’ve been ready since morning. We will meet by the lakeside.

October 5, 2024
October 5, 2024

Storm child

This is the third and final part of “Storm Child”, serialised here on Star Literature

October 5, 2024
October 5, 2024

Exiles and memories

Markan didn't have an answer. The word "Arakan" felt distant, like something from a dream he couldn't quite remember

September 26, 2024
September 26, 2024

My love is lost, and I don’t want it anymore

Every time I enter it, this building carves out a tiny piece of my heart, leaving behind the sharp tang of hospital bleach and lemon-scented air freshener in its place.

September 25, 2024
September 25, 2024

Alone beneath the mountains

His final sentiments were etched into the table before he succumbed to his final rest: "I found solace in the mountains. They demanded nothing and remained steadfast by my side."

September 21, 2024
September 21, 2024

A night in Kalimpong

As I turn back, my eyes catch sight of what appears to be hands, but of a tan, furry kind, feeling its way inside the sliding doors