Literary Curtains / Patriarchy inversed: Reimagining Rokeya’s Ladyland in 2026

23 August 2026 Books & Literature
“Ladyland is not perfect,” remarks Sultana, one of the protagonists in the much awaited play, “Project Ladyland 2026”. Produced by HerStory Foundation in collaboration with the British Council and Women of the World Foundation, the play was greeted by a full house this weekend. Staged at the Bangladesh Mohila Samiti theatre, the performance made a splash on Friday, August 14.
News Report / Kazuo Ishiguro set to return with new novel in 2027
20 June 2026
Ishiguro’s novels have, over his 40-plus-year career, ranged from historical fiction to fantasy to science fiction.
Event Report / Dhaka Zine Mela 2026: A celebration of creativity and community
11 June 2026
On June 6 and 7, 2026, at Goethe-Institut, Dhanmondi, Zine Mela Dhaka 2026 was held, organised by Sister Library (Dhaka) and Colors Publishing. The two-day event brought together independent artists, writers, and creators to celebrate self-publishing, artistic expression, and community engagement.

The poet who declared birth was his eternal sin

Remembering the stateless poet Daud Haider
29 April 2025

Exiled poet Daud Haider no more

Poet Daud Haider, known for his timeless poem Janmo-i Amar Ajanmo Pap (My Birth, My Eternal Sin), died while undergoing treatment at a Berlin hospital early yesterday (Bangladesh time).
27 April 2025

Transnational identity: Negotiating the choices

Review of ‘Reframing My Worth: Memoir of a Bangladeshi-Canadian Woman’ by Habiba Zaman (FriesenPress, 2024)
27 April 2025

The thief

Farid Shaheb earned a fair bit at the office today. These days, because of the Anti Corruption Commission and newspaper journalists’ incessant pestering, he can no longer directly take the money offered to him.
25 April 2025

Defeat

standing at the bus stop with my shoes full of water
25 April 2025

Mother, why is our sky so different?

Mother, why is our sky so different?
25 April 2025

Reading Begum Rokeya, again and always

Begum Rokeya was once described as a “Spider Mother” (makar-mata or makarsha janani) in her biographical account but there is nothing sinister in this metaphor. The image of the spider here symbolises the quiet, patient, and selfless labour of an educator, caring for children who were not her own. Shamsunnahar Mahmud, her close co-worker, wrote: “Day after day in this way, with the blood of her own breast, Spider Mother began to revive hundreds of baby spiders into new life.”
23 April 2025

A priceless fictional heirloom

There are any number of ways one can approach Rahat Ara Begum’s collection of short stories, 'Lost Tales from a Bygone Era: An Anthology of Translation of Urdu Stories', assembled, contextualised, and published in this book by her loving grandchildren and their siblings
23 April 2025

Book recommendations for different personality types

This year’s World Book Day theme, “Read Your Way,” invites readers to embrace their own paths, rhythms, and preferences regarding books
23 April 2025

A tribute to the written word

'A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies'
23 April 2025

We didn’t mean to stop reading

There was a time, maybe not that long ago, when the only thing you needed for a perfect evening was a book
23 April 2025

Mould

A quiet, seniority in its touch, / A tenderness that feels like it's meant to last
18 April 2025

Escape

You thought you had escaped, didn't you? / Outran everything that weighed you down
18 April 2025

The burden of words

It was not often that I received odd parcels. True, my job at the paper did occasionally warrant a few peculiar hate-mail or rebuttals, but this was nothing of that sort
18 April 2025

A pantheon of parables

‘Fit for the Gods: Greek Mythology Reimagined’ (Vintage, 2023), edited by Jenn Northington and S. Zainab Williams, is a collection of classic myths with a twist
16 April 2025

Aparna Sanyal and the burden of representation in South Asian literature

Aparna Upadhyaya Sanyal’s 'Instruments of Torture' is a powerful literary collection that delves into the psychological and societal torments individuals endure, particularly focusing on themes of beauty standards and the representation of women. Each story in the collection is named after a medieval torture device, serving as a metaphor for the emotional and societal pressures faced by the characters.
16 April 2025

Bangladeshi writer Faria Basher shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2025

“An Eye and a Leg” has been described as "a darkly humorous and surreal take on the trope of the ‘expiring’ South Asian woman"
15 April 2025

Delila’s quest (20 October 2014)

Li’l Del is walking all alone Li’l Del wants to find her way home.
11 April 2025

Home for rent

Mrs X's parents were not interested in spending money on their daughter's room because they would have to give her new furniture when she got married
11 April 2025

Stitching fragments of a city lost in time

In the contested notion of creating a ‘nation,’ few ideas provoke as much ire among the everyday citizens of a bordered entity as the concept of a space—one that carries with it the weight of instilling an identity.
9 April 2025
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