A tale of survival, dominance, and self-discovery in colonial Bengal
Obayed Haq’s Bangla novel, Arkathi, is almost a bildungsroman tale filled with adventure and self-reflection. In true bildungsroman fashion, where the protagonist progresses into adulthood with room for growth and change, a bulk of Haq’s novel talks about the spiritual journey that an orphan, Naren, takes through a forest in order to mature, and comes out on the other side to realise a community’s deep, hidden truth.
12 December 2024, 18:00 PM
In conversation with Shazia Omar: Fiction, wellness, readership, and everything in between
'I would like to see more writing coming out of Bangladesh,' Shazia Omar said. 'We are still behind'
23 March 2024, 16:00 PM
Anne Brontë: The daring sister in the shadows
Anne was a realistic novelist—and one who was very much ahead of her time. She was a fiery feminist, and dismissive of creating any Gothic atmosphere
17 January 2024, 14:11 PM
Where to Start with Nobel Laureate, Jon Fosse
On 5th October, 2023 the acclaimed Norwegian playwright and poet, Jon Olav Fosse, won the Nobel Prize in Literature “for his innovative plays and prose which give voice to the unsayable.”
28 October 2023, 13:40 PM
The bitter-sweet world of self-help books
The concept of self-improvement is by no means a new one, rather the notion is in the foundational structures of moral well-being. The centuries old Socrates commandment, “Know Thyself” is at the very crux of what self-improvement consists of.
1 August 2023, 14:55 PM
Acquaintance
I found a gold pendant which I decided to keep. I wore it around my neck and looked in the mirror. Did my mother ever wear this pendant?
30 July 2023, 14:55 PM
Au Revoir, Milan Kundera
On July 11, 2023, the world said goodbye to Czech-born French novelist, Milan Kundera.
19 July 2023, 18:00 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
The long dinner table
A daughter reflects on time and Bengali culture as she revels in the excitement of cooking her parents a meal.
3 March 2023, 18:00 PM