Book Review: Nonfiction / The courage to speak: The life, ideas, and legacy of Ambassador M. Serajul Islam

25 August 2026 Reviews
Ambassador Islam passionately believed that a nation of 180 million people should chart its own path, maintaining good but never subservient relationships with global powers. He was acutely aware of “our traits as a nation” but remained firm in his belief that the country could only thrive under Lincoln's doctrine of government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
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.

I would rather stop coming here

'In Extreme Need of Guidance', the book being serialised here, captures the first 16 years of writer Sultana Nahar's life. "A Bomb Falls" is the 10th chapter in the book.
4 July 2023

The comfort of rereading old books

I often feel overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of new books that I still want to read—so many stories, so little time—and understand that this is an ambition that rereading can only delay.
2 July 2023

The Blanket

Suddenly, the shadow became larger on the wall. At that exact moment, something felt heavy on Farid’s chest–and got heavier by the minute. Everything was still, and in that silence, a silhouette slowly grew over Farid’s  body. 
30 June 2023

Witness of a horse theft

The trader decides not to return home. He sends a message to his wife: "Do not worry about me. I am going to the capital of Kishkindha with Devraj horse. I will return with a sack full of money in 15 days."
30 June 2023

All cows moo to heaven

The farm had transformed overnight into a spinning wheel of fear and intrigue. The mother cows' hushed grunts weaved an elaborate tapestry of tales.
28 June 2023

Home is where the hurt is

This is a beautiful book about a teenager looking for the answers in life, the joys of found family, and the experience of love in its many forms.
28 June 2023

Memory

Memory is a winding range Of coniferous mountain pine Catching the fiery light
23 June 2023

Dark, blue night

Like wild leopard's skin, I spread out my hair The dark night uncurls with his roaring fleet; I pounce on his chest, bare foot, like Kali–
23 June 2023

On rainy days and reading

The fact of the matter was this: the poem had been written, the call had been answered, and as lofty as it sounds—at that moment there I was, as Frank O'Hara put aptly—"the center of all beauty! / writing these poems!/ Imagine!".
23 June 2023

How Pakistan viewed ‘71: Academics and publishers discuss

To understand the attitude of the adversaries of the Liberation War, I went to collect the data for this book and found that Pakistanis are defending themselves.
22 June 2023

Into the intersection of identity & violence

It is worth considering that, according to historian Yuval Noah Harari, we may not be able to fully evade violence, as our evolutionary past has instilled certain inclinations within us that could be linked to violence.
22 June 2023

'Independence': A painfully poignant Partition story

Divakaruni has a message to send with this novel. To her, independence entails not just liberation or freedom from subjugation, it also means doing the right thing for oneself and for the people around us.
22 June 2023

Riverdale can be anytime, anywhere

Sweet, colourful, and funny, Archie comics were one of the only graphic narratives available for people who weren’t interested in superheroes and really gritty, edgy comics like Batman.
22 June 2023

I wanted to become a writer. Did I need to study creative writing?

I was losing myself gradually, and that is when I decided to seek out freelance writing.
21 June 2023

Scrounging revelations out of music

I don't remember at what point in life I learned to recognize the fallacy behind the not-like-other-girls phenomenon and discarded it for an all-encompassing love for female friendship and solidarity, in acceptance of femininity in all its forms. But I do know that Taylor Swift played a significant role in it.
20 June 2023

‘Good books will always find good readers’: Dipankar Das

The crux of the issue is whether or not good books are reaching the intended readers.
20 June 2023

Cormac McCarthy: A great American novelist

For a nation that cannot boast of a Cervantes or Rabindranath, there will always be a need to find an All-American, a unifier who assures them of their place in the hallowed halls of literature. Cormac McCarthy, more than any other writer of his generation, was equipped to shoulder that title.
19 June 2023

Baba

try my best to paint the place blue Pouring all the sorrow after you With no colour left in my palette, As though the canvas breathes its last
18 June 2023

A day of festivities to celebrate 19 years of Baatighar

Baatighar has organised an evening of music and discussion at its Dhaka outlet on June 18, 2023, from 6 PM onwards.
18 June 2023

Begum Rokeya and Begum Sufia An enduring “mother-daughter” bond

Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1880-1932) and Begum Sufia Kamal (1911-1999), two icons in Bangla literature and culture, were not kins but kindred spirits.
16 June 2023
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