literature

A tribute to Jowshan Ara Rahman

I got to know Jowshan Ara better when I visited her home to interview her husband, Mahbub ul Alam Chowdhury, the poet who wrote the first poem on Ekushey.

FICTION / After the rain

While leaving the institute, a nurse gave me a packet of cigarettes as a token of friendship

MUSINGS / The whimsical storytelling of video games

Creating a video game, especially one that is storyline-based or an open-world role-playing game, is like creating an entirely new universe

FICTION / Insomnia

You are wide awake again

ESSAY / Intertextuality in Shahaduz Zaman’s ‘Prithibite Hoyto Brihaspatibar’

Shahaduz Zaman stands out prominently as a significant figure in the contemporary Bangla literary landscape, utilising intertextuality throughout his works, and   infusing various texts and genres into his narratives.

Schools need to rethink how they teach Literature

Schools must revamp literature education to foster creativity.

POETRY / Relaxed reminiscences

(For Lutfa, Nayeem, and Aarong Herbal Hair Pack)

EVENT REPORT / Sheikh Zayed Book Award announces winners for the 18th edition

The winners were announced on 4 April, 2024, with the ceremony being hosted by Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, chairman of the SZBA Board of Trustees

What to expect if you want to major in Bangla

Majoring in Bangla promises a journey through a kaleidoscope of academic marvels.

October 4, 2022
October 4, 2022

In the Morning

A fine good morning poem

October 2, 2022
October 2, 2022

Redefining marketing strategies with booktok

Booktok is dictating how readers are exploring new titles. Is that a good thing?

October 2, 2022
October 2, 2022

On Literary Matters: The Diversity of Writing

. In its fourth session of Literary Matters, the discussion focused on the diversity of writing. The guest speakers were Shagufta Sharmeen Tania, the acclaimed British-Bangladeshi writer and Rahad Abir, another up and coming writer currently residing in the US.

September 27, 2022
September 27, 2022

Remembering Syed Shamsul Haq

On the occasion of the sixth death anniversary of Syed Shamsul Haq, Sabiha Huq writes on the versatile writer.

September 17, 2022
September 17, 2022

Ritual

Morning sun, and its endearing ardor swathes my spent body, I awake a ghost.

September 17, 2022
September 17, 2022

Home in the World: The Autobiography of a Well-Known Bengali

The dust jacket cover of Amartya Sen’s absorbing and remarkable memoir shows him as a young boy, with his sister and a cousin at home, looking out at the world. An apt cover image of a fittingly titled book about someone who would be always taking in the world as he went all over

August 14, 2022
August 14, 2022

Female characters of Tagore: Symbols of empowered women

Rabindranath Tagore’s early writings (1881-1897) often focused on social injustice against women, female deities in his literature signified woman's inner strength. Tagore underscored that woman should never be passive, and he was very aware of women's social roles. Almost all of his female characters were plotted in traditional ways, but they were all quite strong. His women's liberation conquest was ahead of its time. As a result, one of his most significant contributions to society is the portrayal of women in his art.

August 4, 2022
August 4, 2022

At the Blums’—A review of 'The Netanyahus' by Joshua Cohen

Cohen’s book confidently deals with the comedy of the Jewish family.

July 28, 2022
July 28, 2022

‘Persuasion’, ‘Bridgerton’, ‘Emma.’ What’s missing from these quirky period dramas?

Studios seem to think female characters need to be glossed with a “zany” and “feisty” persona in order to be relevant. 

July 27, 2022
July 27, 2022

Unconventional narrators dominate the 2022 Booker Prize longlist

Glory is narrated by a vivid chorus of animal voices, while Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies is partly told by the malevolent cancer travelling through the body of protagonist Lia.