THE SHELF / 6 books that I read at the end of last year… I hated 5 of them

When it comes to the history of Bangladesh both pre-and post-Liberation War, certain aspects have either remained hidden from the public or been deliberately obscured.

Bangladeshi Literature in English: Critical Essays and Interviews, edited by Mohammad A. Quayum and Md. Mahmudul Hasan, focuses on critical essays on Bangladeshi literature in English—both from Bangladesh and its diasporas (US, UK, and Australia).

The experience was hands-on, intimate, and vulnerable, as many paid tribute to the lives lost in the July Revolution, as well as writing and creating art dedicated to their own personal struggles.

This past August, Dhaka’s speculative fiction magazine 'Small World City' enjoyed their first anniversary. The magazine, over this last year, has published some of the more striking works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry coming out of the country

Review of ‘Needle at the Bottom of the Sea: Bengali Tales from the Land of the Eighteen Tides’ (University of California Press, 2023) translated by Tony K. Stewart

Murshid’s passing marks the end of an era in literature

Women in Translation Month is an annual celebration that toasts to women authors from around the globe who write in languages other than English

Sometime ago, a writer reached out to me with a request. His debut novel was being published later in the year and he was wondering if I would be open to reviewing it. I was aware of the book, having read it when it was still only a draft. The author was not someone I only knew, either, but a mentor who had supported my writing in many ways, even through monetary means. Refusing him, then, felt tantamount to betrayal. But I had to in the end, and though he understood, I still came out of the exchange feeling guilty of being unhelpful or, worse, ungrateful.

Review of 'Shamim Reza: Selected Poems' (ULAB Press, 2023)

The eight girls in Headshot clearly hope to escape the chaos of their lives in the ring.

The 309-page-long dystopian novel is an oppressive account of Eilish who tries to keep her family from falling apart as everything around her crumbles.

“Mr Nurul Amin couldn’t realise what bureaucracy had dragged him down to”. Remember how you needed to absolutely memorise this line with context and underlying meaning for answering comprehension-based questions? Well, that was to earn a couple of marks in exams. Turns out, it is also a 101 guide on how to earn a nation back.

During the 53 years of Bangladesh’s existence, its people have had to endure and take down two autocratic regimes; not only did they oust an autocrat in July 2024 through a mass uprising, but 1991 also saw the downfall of the autocrat, Hussain Muhammad Ershad, through another rebellion.

The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, observed each year on August 9, serves as an important reminder of the many injustices that take place in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh

Irrespective of the ambivalence that marks Metaphysical poetry of the 17th century, Selim marvels us with his choice of words and precision of utterance.

One does not need to remember Rabindranath on the occasion of the anniversary of his death—22 Srabon or August 7 to be precise.

It's true, I feel differently about books that I previously disliked or enjoyed reading and books that I want as a physical presence in my life

In the post-9/11 world, no country’s name has been evoked more than Turkey’s (or its newly rebranded name of Türkiye) in public discussions by foreign policy pundits and politicians alike, to demonstrate the harmonious symbiosis of the East and West, Islam and secularism, and tradition and modernity.

The poet says that since her childhood, Tagore’s poems and music have been resounding in her heart and soul and that she murmured his lines even  in her sleep

'The Hippo Girl and Other Stories' holds up a mirror to a society that judges and ridicules those that do not adhere to its shortsighted vision of a homogenised culture.