News Report / Two Bangladeshi writers make 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlist
14 April 2026, 16:54 PM
Two Bangladeshi writers—26-year-old Anmana Manishita, a lecturer at BRAC University, and 33-year-old Shazed Ul Hoq Abir, a lecturer at East West University—have been shortlisted for the 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.
14 April 2026, 16:54 PM
News Report / From the ashes: Gaza’s first grassroots library rises amid genocide
12 April 2026, 21:43 PM
Two Palestinian writers, Omar Hamad and Ibrahim Massri, have been working since late 2025 to build a library in Gaza during the ongoing genocide. The Phoenix Library is located in the heart of Gaza City and, per a post from the library’s Twitter/X account, is fast approaching its official opening date despite the Gaza Strip and all of occupied Palestine still being subject to Israeli apartheid violence.
12 April 2026, 21:43 PM
NEWS REPORT / Arundhati Roy’s Mother Mary Comes to Me secures 2026 NBCC Award, continues global recognition
28 March 2026, 17:07 PM
Celebrated author and activist Arundhati Roy’s 2025 memoir Mother Mary Comes to Me (Penguin, 2025) continues to solidify its place in the zeitgeist and its cultural impact well into 2026, with its recent win at this year’s US National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Award in the Autobiography category.
28 March 2026, 17:07 PM
NEWS REPORT / Rishad Choudhury wins Association for Asian Studies’ 2026 Bernard S. Cohn Prize
13 March 2026, 19:30 PM
Rishad Choudhury, a historian and Assistant Professor of History at Oberlin College, has been awarded the 2026 Bernard S. Cohn Prize by the Association for Asian Studies for his book Hajj Across Empires: Pilgrimage and Political Cultures After the Mughals, 1739-1857 (Cambridge, University Press, 2004).
13 March 2026, 19:30 PM
NEWS REPORT / Arundhati Roy skips Berlinale over Gaza comments and festival response
17 February 2026, 19:09 PM
Arundhati Roy, celebrated Indian writer, essayist, and activist, has recently been at the centre of a controversy surrounding the Berlin International Film Festival regarding comments on the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
17 February 2026, 19:09 PM
EVENT REPORT / Md Ashanur Rahman receives the International Creative Arts Award 2025
19 January 2026, 17:38 PM
On January 18, 2026 novelist and essayist Md Ashanur Rahman was awarded The International Creative Arts Award 2025 by the International Creative Arts, Language & Development Research Centre of the University of Dhaka for his outstanding contribution to literature and its role in Enriching Minds and Inspiring Lives.
19 January 2026, 17:38 PM
NEWS REPORT / NSU DEML launches inaugural certificate course in creative writing
17 January 2026, 16:00 PM
The six-week intensive program offers beginners and budding writers mentor-led guidance in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, focusing on Bangladeshi cultural narratives
17 January 2026, 16:00 PM
EVENT REPORT / Bangladesh’s first interactive mental health book launched
15 January 2026, 13:43 PM
The book features 15 chapters covering essential topics such as attachment styles, love languages, and shadow work.
15 January 2026, 13:43 PM
Children’s author Ali Imam no more
Ali Imam, the author of more than 600 books, breathed his last on Monday evening in the Bangladesh Medical College Hospital in the capital’s Dhanmondi area.
21 November 2022, 15:40 PM
7 books to get you pumped up for football World Cup season
With the FIFA World Cup 2022 starting today, tensions run high around the country. Avid football fans have already dawned on their favourite team’s jerseys and hoisted their country’s flags alongside that of Bangladesh’s. The entire world will be glued to their tv screens till a winner emerges to claim the Football World Cup.
20 November 2022, 13:04 PM
ULAB’s 6th literary salon discusses the local publishing scene
The event is being hosted today, October 12, between 5 and 7 pm at The Auditorium, 6th Floor of ULAB Research Building, House 56, Road 4/A Dhanmondi. It is open for all.
12 November 2022, 06:46 AM
Baatighar sale for Humayun Ahmed Boi Mela
Baatighar Humayun Ahmed Boi Mela 2022 will span from November 5 to 15.
9 November 2022, 11:55 AM
Lawyers say plagiarism claims over ‘The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida’ are unfounded
On October 4, this year’s Booker Prize winning author Shehan Karunatilaka posted on his social media that a claim has been made by a “journalist from Colombo” that the idea for his novel, The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida was “stolen”.
6 November 2022, 06:48 AM
NSU to host international conference: 'Ruptures and Resilience: English Studies in the Now'
Organisers told The Daily Star, “We expect this conference to be a grand event for showcasing theoretical ideas and cutting-edge research in the fields of literature, linguistics, and English teaching”.
3 November 2022, 09:50 AM
‘A platform for erasing the cancelling of the other’: ULAB’s Inter-University Student Conference
The 2022 Inter-University Student Conference and Cultural Competition explored different facets of conflict and avenues for conflict resolution on topics within literature, language, linguistics, cultural studies, communication studies, translation studies, and digital humanities.
2 November 2022, 12:00 PM
Academics discuss Afsan Chowdhury’s ‘Narider Ekattor’
“The liberation war was terrifying for women and this is why Afsan Chowdhury’s book is crucial. It is important to study our culture to understand the history of our liberation war,” said Professor Sonia Nishat Amin.
23 October 2022, 11:56 AM
Dua Lipa stresses the importance of The Booker Prize
When being asked how she finds the time to read, she shared that she reads backstage or in the backseat of her car, on her way to meetings or interviews, “especially if I’m into a book”.
22 October 2022, 13:00 PM
ULAB to hold Inter-University Student Conference from Thursday
In a break from last year’s partially virtual format, this year’s event will be held at ULAB’s Permanent Campus in Beribad and its Research Building in Dhanmondi, Dhaka.
19 October 2022, 09:44 AM
10th Dhaka Lit Fest will include Nobel Prize winners Orhan Pamuk and Abdulrazak Gurnah
After a two year hiatus caused by Covid-19, the 10th edition of the Dhaka Literary Festival will take place from January 5-8, 2023, at the capital’s Bangla Academy.
14 October 2022, 12:58 PM
Rahitul Islam's novels reflect Digital Bangladesh
A portion of the donation has been given to Sanjida Akter of Natore for the treatment of her eyes. Akter was the victim of an acid attack in November last year.
14 October 2022, 09:00 AM
UPL releases 21st edition of Akbar Ali Khan’s ‘Porarthoporotar Orthoniti’
“Its insights into history and realism make it as enjoyable to the reader as it is deep into the subject”, UPL stated about the 21st edition of Porarthoporotar Orthoniti.
13 October 2022, 10:43 AM
Annie Ernaux wins Nobel Prize in Literature
Ernaux has received the award for her “the courage and clinical acuity with which she uncovers the roots, estrangements and collective restraints of personal memory.”
6 October 2022, 11:19 AM
'Bangladesh is divided along cultural fault lines', Professor Mohammad Azam discusses at Gyantaposh Abdur Razzak Foundation
The culture and traditions of the country have been colonised. Thoughts which originate in Kolkata are being accepted in Dhaka’s society without due consideration.
25 September 2022, 09:37 AM
Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall trilogy, no more
Hilary Mantel, British author of the Tudor series of books known as the Wolf Hall trilogy, passed away peacefully on Thursday, September 22, Reuters reports. The twice Booker Prize-winning author was 70.
23 September 2022, 17:01 PM
ULAB Literary Salon to discuss freedom of speech today
Writers of both fiction and non-fiction have come under increasing pressure and censorship across South Asia. To discuss these issues, the fifth ULAB Lit Salon brings together a diverse group of experts drawn from policy and its practice, publishing, and media.
17 September 2022, 06:32 AM
SHOUTxDS Books presents ‘Slam Poetry Nights’ — Episode 1
The poems ranged from mental health issues to individual freedom of expression and every musing in between.
15 September 2022, 11:58 AM
Economics, literature, history: Akbar Ali Khan in books
Dr Khan focused on Bangladesh’s historical roots as “the last major nation-state to proclaim its identity” —a country that changed its statehood twice in less than 25 years.
9 September 2022, 12:58 PM
South Asia Speaks creative writing mentorship open for applications
The free, year-long fellowship for creative writers from South Asia, is accepting applications until September 30, 2022.
7 September 2022, 07:35 AM