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.

September 7, 2023
September 7, 2023

Dining at Oxbridge: “Formal”, please

I was a little anxious. It was only the second day of my life at the University of Cambridge, and I was already bombarded with instructions on how to dine.

September 2, 2023
September 2, 2023

jani dekha hobe

that single spot, shunyo, a hole that is filled to its circumference, I drive and the sun is bigger than I’ve ever seen and orange, look directly into it or, i had to write a poem to go along with the first

September 2, 2023
September 2, 2023

In the sand dunes

His face was growing warmer, it seemed as though the intangible entity that was stinging his closed eyes was growing stronger.

August 20, 2023
August 20, 2023

Kundera's 'The Joke': Tyranny, anywhere, is a threat to democracy

The Joke quickly became one of the many works of literature to be banned after the Soviet invasion, and Kundera was blacklisted.

July 28, 2023
July 28, 2023

Remembering Mahasweta Devi: The blueprint of subaltern activism and literature

While novelists such as Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay and Sanjeeb Chandra Chattopadhyay adopted an ambiguous position on caste discourse in their writing, Mahasweta Devi's fiction explicitly delineates the Dalits and adivasis as political, social, and psychological beings embroiled in multiple levels of oppression.

July 26, 2023
July 26, 2023

'Small World City': A new speculative literary magazine on the horizon

The creators of Small World City believe that Dhaka’s literary community deserves better recognition and representation, both domestically and globally.

July 23, 2023
July 23, 2023

An afternoon with Abeer Hoque and Nupu Press: A celebration of creativity

The cozy atmosphere was set up by Bookworm Bangladesh, with the owner Amina Rahman kicking things off. Both Press and Hoque read out excerpts from their own books.

June 19, 2023
June 19, 2023

Monsoon in Bangla literature

Bangla literature is quite rich and monsoon holds an interestingly large part of it. Some might say that monsoon in literature is a sub-genre of Bangla literature and it’s probably not an unfair claim. But monsoon in Bangla literature has such a major impact that it’s challenging to finish that discussion in one small article.

June 17, 2023
June 17, 2023

Will-o’-the-Wisp

The sky to the west and overhead is mired in darkness; but to the east, light is gleaming out like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal.

June 15, 2023
June 15, 2023

In Extreme Need of Guidance

On summer days when the sunlight falls through the trees it scatters into a play of light and shadows on the ground. My memories of Fareed are like that.