Beyond stereotypes: Rupert Grey’s ‘Homage to Bangladesh’

Rupert Grey, a descendant of Charles Grey and best known professionally as a leading libel and copyright lawyer stood against this statement. “If Bangladesh is a basket case,” Grey tells The Daily Star, “then it is so in the best possible way.” For him, the term collapses under the sheer vitality of the country. A single square metre of a Bangladeshi street, he argues, holds more energy than entire neighbourhoods in London. Where life in England often unfolds in rigid routines, Bangladesh thrives in spontaneity—where a hanging lighter at a tea stall can become a moment of shared choreography.
25 January 2026, 12:24 PM Books & Literature
FLASH FICTION / The rickshaw artist
24 January 2026, 01:52 AM Books & Literature
FLASH FICTION / Pirouette of a phoenix
24 January 2026, 01:48 AM Books & Literature
POETRY / Memories
24 January 2026, 01:36 AM Books & Literature

EDITORIAL / Why read?
22 January 2026, 00:00 AM Books & Literature
THE SHELF / 7 new books to look out for in 2026
22 January 2026, 00:00 AM Books & Literature

INTERVIEW / Reclaiming the unwritten: Kanika Gupta on colonialism, embodiment, and the art of remembering

Gupta shares her insights on reclaiming forgotten histories, reimagining myths, and connecting ancient narratives to contemporary ecological and social concerns.
22 November 2025, 11:51 AM Books & Literature
EVENT REPORT / An eco-critical look at Sultan: Reading the manuscript of ‘Sultan Er Krishi Jiggasha’
With the aid of Duniyadari Archive, Pavel Partha’s soon-to-be-published book Sultan Er Krishi Jiggasha is a new addition, which looks at Sultan’s work from an eco-critical perspective.
8 November 2025, 11:43 AM Books & Literature
NEWS REPORT / “Curious love letter”: Wole Soyinka responds after US cancels visa
He responded to the situation with grace, mentioning “I like people who have a sense of humour".
30 October 2025, 10:45 AM Books & Literature

Ranajit Guha was the youngest at heart: Dipesh Chakraborty

"The enthusiasm which Ranajit Guha created in our minds in the field of thinking and writing history for more than a decade has never been replicated in the past nor will it be replicated in the future", Dipesh Chakraborty said.
29 April 2023, 15:00 PM

Zeenat bookstore closure delayed

New Market’s Zeenat Book Supply Ltd announced today that they will remain open until May 15, 2023
29 April 2023, 08:46 AM

Amitav Ghosh's new book will revisit the 19th century opium trade

The book traces the transformative impact that the opium trade had on India, China, Britain and the United States, with profound long-term consequences for the birth of the modern world, and of contemporary globalism.
28 April 2023, 10:56 AM

Nadeem Zaman’s ‘The Inheritors’ to be produced for the screen by Sharbari Zohra Ahmed

Quantico writer Sharbari Zohra Ahmed will produce Nadeem Zaman's Gatsby-inspired novel set in Dhaka.
27 April 2023, 13:37 PM

Literature showcases a different side to the Korean Wave

The books coming out of Korea are brutal in how they push the audience right back into the bleakness of reality
27 April 2023, 10:38 AM

Akhteruzzaman Elias: There is always an other to be purged

Shill edited the present volume as a rich collection of memories and evaluations of Akhteruzzaman Elias by his friends and relatives, some renowned literary figures of the Bangla language, as well as some occasional thoughts by Elias himself.
27 April 2023, 10:22 AM

Boats against the current: Reconciling the Dhaka of old with the new

Nadeem Zaman’s The Inheritors retells and recontextualizes one of the most famous stories there ever was—F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925).
27 April 2023, 10:01 AM

The dark undercurrents of family life

The book combines the intrigue of a classic domestic suspense novel with a high level of psychological insight and skilful character development.
26 April 2023, 12:27 PM

SAJIDA Foundation, CholPori team up to improve child education

The startup is currently implementing pilot models with schools across the country to digitize classroom learning.
26 April 2023, 09:05 AM

Reimagining the magic for HBO Max's Harry Potter remake

Why don’t we imagine a cast that could illuminate the characters and make us happy? 
25 April 2023, 12:55 PM

Memories of Eid and ‘Dipu Number Two’

One of my most vivid memories growing up was discovering the joys of reading during one train journey to Rajshahi, Muhammad Zafar Iqbal's novel of childhood adventures
24 April 2023, 14:55 PM

11 books to read during Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Trigger Warning: This article mentions sexual and domestic abuse, trauma, and issues of mental health
24 April 2023, 12:25 PM

7 books that contain spellbinding fictional books

These books explore the idea that books can be much more than just inanimate objects.
23 April 2023, 13:00 PM

Only books and longing for this year’s Eid

Since I did not have a busy itinerary on Eid days, books were my unwitting companions
23 April 2023, 09:13 AM

Charlotte Brontë's unconventional heroines

Though a reflection of the Victorian era, the themes and messages of Charlottle Brontë, born on this day in 1816, remain relevant as women continue to fight for gender equality
21 April 2023, 04:00 AM

A bookstore is a time machine—Zeenat Book Supply through the ages

Last week, one of Dhaka’s oldest bookstores announced that they will be closing shop after running for 60 years
20 April 2023, 03:59 AM

5 lightweight books for your hometown commute this Eid

An enjoyable read, easy to carry, can be a good companion to improve the travel experience
20 April 2023, 00:50 AM

At least we tried

Sharing one’s work, whether it is through publishing the old-fashioned way, self-publishing, bringing out an ebook, or simply posting a vignette on social media, can be daunting—a bit like undressing in public.
20 April 2023, 00:30 AM

A memoir that unpacks faith, survival & hope

For her family and community growing up, Lamya's questions and thoughts were too scandalous, borderline blasphemous. For her extended family, she is too religious.
18 April 2023, 12:45 PM

5 books to present as Eid gifts

Though the month of Ramadan is nearing its end, it brings with it the glories of Eid celebrations, and the perfect time to shower loved ones with gifts.
18 April 2023, 05:00 AM