News Report / National Book Awards 2026 announces 25 finalists across five categories
11 October 2026
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News
The National Book Foundation has announced the 25 finalists for the 2026 National Book Awards, with five shortlisted works in each of the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature and Young People’s Literature. The finalists were selected from 1,912 submissions, following the announcement of the longlists in September.
Canadian writer Anne Carson wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature
8 October 2026
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News
Interview / Booker-longlisted Kenan Orhan on exile, memory and the art of fiction
8 October 2026
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News
Interview / Silence, faith, and the unseen: Jon Fosse in conversation
8 October 2026
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Books & Literature
Book Review: Fiction / Chasing myths before midnight
8 October 2026
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Books & Literature
News Report / Best-selling British author Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86
7 October 2026
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News
Fiction / The wardrobe
3 October 2026
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Fiction
Poetry / From fawn to shore
3 October 2026
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Poetry
Poetry / Waterhen
3 October 2026
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Poetry
Literary Curtains / Patriarchy inversed: Reimagining Rokeya’s Ladyland in 2026
“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.
Event Report / “We do not live outside history”: Dr. Azfar Hussain on humanism, fascism, and the July Uprising
26 July 2026
“It is one of those questions that politely pretends to be a title, but secretly aspires to be a life’s work,” began Dr. Azfar Hussain on an overcast evening on the July 23, 2026, addressing a packed forum hall at the University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh (ULAB), alluding to the title of his public lecture: What Does It Mean to Be Human in the Age of 'Posthumanism' and Global Fascism?
Event Report / “Our Story”: Where parents and children made memories by hand
15 July 2026
A unique and heartwarming workshop, designed to celebrate the beautiful journey of parenthood through creative expression and quality time
The shelf / 7 Asian healing fiction recommendations for rainy days
18 June 2026
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The Shelf
You know when the sky trades its brightness for a low, silver hue, and you wrap your fingers tightly around your tea, seeking that small, steady pulse of warmth. This is the essence of healing fiction. Often rooted in the Japanese concept of iyashikei, these stories focus on the quiet spirit through small, everyday moments. You may have already heard of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop or We’ll Prescribe You a Cat. While those popular favourites have opened a door for many, there are a few other tales worth the read.
Reflections / In the age of AI allegations
13 June 2026
Fiction / Body Selim
18 April 2026
Into the rhyme and reason of poetry
To be human is to be a poet. And I will tell you why.
21 March 2023
Fantasy book series you might be missing out on
The best fantasy book series seem to have figured the formulae out in their own unique ways.
20 March 2023
'Teestar Kanna' brings Teesta shoal residents to tears
Poet and writer Ishor Dulon Roy, author of Teestar Kanna, told The Daily Star that many of his relatives live on the Teesta shoal. Once they were all rich, all now lost to the river erosion.
20 March 2023
‘Monstrous fancies, misshapen dreams’: My ambivalence with ‘Dorian Gray’
“How tragic it would be if you were wasted”, made me smile in a melancholic way. I know moments when “unnecessary things are our only necessities”. And I’ve not been hesitant to give “rebellion its fascination” and “disobedience its charm.”
19 March 2023
Home and its place in Bangla literature
When we study the effects of urbanisation on formerly relevant concepts of home, newer images pop up and we find them coexisting with the previously established one.
18 March 2023
Of ‘BONOBIBI’ and music as a form of storytelling
The verses remind us that a withering, war-torn Earth can still birth new life and hopes of freedom.
18 March 2023
Will you hear my wishes
Today, I am no dead man. But I am not happy, I will not lie to you.
17 March 2023
On Coke Studio Bangla x Meghdol’s ‘BONOBIBI’ and music as a form of storytelling
When Coke Studio Bangla released Meghdol’s Bonobibi, their second song of season 2, listeners found themselves torn between loving the song and questioning it. Questioning as to why the song was done under the banner of Coke Studio, a project funded by an American-based multinational corporation; questioning what qualifies Meghdol, a band known for singing about urban life in Dhaka city, to sing about tales originating in the Sundarbans; and why the song didn’t delve deeper into the history and background of the stories they were trying to tell. It has raised a wider question about how music plays a role in storytelling.
17 March 2023
The University Press Limited heads to Chittagong
On Saturday, March 18, UPL will inaugurate its new sales centre in Chittagong at Jamal Khan Road’s Sanmar Spring Garden.
16 March 2023
A memoir that helps understand development
Perhaps the most important contribution of the book lies in providing intimate insights into how NGOs work in Bangladesh.
16 March 2023
Can ideology win over desire?
Set in 1990s Dhaka against the backdrop of the military occupation, the novella follows the lives of a young university professor, his wife, and their house help, Phulbanu. The story is narrated entirely from Phulbanu’s perspective.
16 March 2023
5 new books to read this week
Set in the backdrop of a nameless forest, the narrative of the play 'Ekti Moragachh O Charjon Narir Shopnobhongo' revolves around characters of William Shakespeare’s creation.
16 March 2023
A diverse longlist for the 2023 International Booker Prize
Novels from India, the Caribbean, Ukraine, Spain, Bulgaria, Ivory Coast, France, Germany, Mexico, Sweden, China, Norway and South Korea in the longlist.
15 March 2023
How Netflix’s ‘Shadow and Bone’ adaptation can be improved
Season 2 of 'Shadow and Bone' will be out on Netflix on March 16—how can it do better justice to the texts than Season 1?
15 March 2023
Grow Your Reader Foundation raises the 'Flag of Peace'
Grow Your Reader Foundation instals mobile, street, and online library stations in different corners of Bangladesh, and has been providing teacher training facilities since 2016.
13 March 2023
Love the Oscars winners? Here’s what you should read
The book behind the Oscar-winning adaptations, and books about the history of the award
13 March 2023
To survive is to hope, in Nasreen Jahan’s ‘Urukku’
Originally published in 1993, 'Urukku' by Nasreen Jahan is a dive into the life of a young woman and a powerful commentary on human need.
12 March 2023
Ghazala Wahab to speak at ULAB Lit Salon on Tuesday
Also a journalist, Wahab will speak about her nonfiction, Born A Muslim, a book that talks about the increasing political irrelevance of Muslims in India and the importance of feminist interpretations of the Quran, besides highlighting other relevant socio political issues.
12 March 2023
Advice for Pliny the Elder, Big Daddy of Mansplainers
Great Man, now that you are dead, allow me to squeeze your hand. The sage bushes in Umbria are heavy with bees, so I’m killing them with hypnosis.
10 March 2023
Where are indigenous women’s stories?
Indigenous women are read even less. There are multiple root causes–lack of editorial support for indigenous authors writing in their mother tongues, the predominance of oral traditions, gender inequality and bias.
10 March 2023
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