FOSWAL Special Literary Award for Bangabandhu handed to PM

The Special Literary Award conferred on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by the Foundation of Saarc Writers and Literature (FOSWAL) has been handed over to his daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
2 April 2023, 12:31 PM

Discovered Tolkien letters reveal new sides of his work

The correspondence was part of an exchange between Tolkien and the British Council about funding for his research collaboration with his former Oxford student, Simonne d’Ardenne.
1 April 2023, 10:55 AM

Rebellion in words: Contemporary feminist books

Women have been fighting for their rights for centuries now, and the world is yet to facilitate that kind of equality. But it has not stopped them from trying to bring down the shackles of patriarchy.
29 March 2023, 12:45 PM

What to read to feel the magic of spring

Regardless of the ambience of these part-sunny-part gloomy days, there is always a book to suit to the mood
27 March 2023, 12:45 PM

Interview with a Birangona

That evening, a blade sliced through string, through skin, red on red on red. Kutta, the man in khaki says. It is only later I realize it is me he is calling dog. Dog. Dog.
25 March 2023, 09:23 AM

The Birangona in poetry and conversation

Using a Fulbright fellowship, Tarfia decided to come to Bangladesh to research the war and interview the women whom the Bangladesh government, in 1972, titled Birangona (war heroines). These interviews resulted in 'Seam' (Southern Illinois University Press, 2014).
25 March 2023, 08:53 AM

An invaluable study of Bangladesh's political history

"In Fool’s Paradise" is aptly named as it gives us a glimpse of post-independence Bangladesh, a young nation still struggling to find its identity amidst post-war blows.
23 March 2023, 04:08 AM

A refugee's tale in Calcutta

Unlike many of the war refugees from Bangladesh in Calcutta, he felt no urge to be involved in the war. He had fled the country to save his life, not to participate in the fight.
23 March 2023, 03:56 AM

Reading as a form of resistance: Some anecdotes from the 1971 war

After the war, the library authorities placed advertisements requesting people to return any books from the library that they might have in their possession, but the response was poor. The library's hundred-year-old collection was lost forever.
23 March 2023, 03:31 AM

5 new books that explore family life in fiction

Among the new books we’re excited to read this season, these March releases hold special promise. 
22 March 2023, 13:00 PM

In her new book, Maria Chaudhuri reimagines Pohela Boishakh for kids

Illustrated by Kazi Istela Imam, Nobo Opens a Door embraces the occasion of Pohela Boishakh—an event that is dear to many.
22 March 2023, 11:26 AM

Into the rhyme and reason of poetry

To be human is to be a poet. And I will tell you why.
21 March 2023, 13:55 PM

'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, 10:32 AM

‘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, 12:30 PM

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, 15:00 PM

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, 18:00 PM

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, 09:13 AM

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, 08:56 AM

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, 00:00 AM

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, 15:08 PM