Essay / Celebrating literary minds: Reflections on editing festschrifts

26 September 2026 • Essay
“Festschrift” is a German word coined in the 19th century by combining ”fest”, meaning “celebration” or “festival,” with ”schrift”, meaning “writing” or “script,” to signify “celebration writing” or “festival publication.”

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 / Special Discussion Marks Abul Hasnat’s Birth Anniversary: ‘Nabiner Shahittya: Shwapna O Shwapnabhongo’
19 July 2026
A special literary discussion titled ‘Nabiner Shahittya: Shwapna O Shwapnabhongo’ was held on Friday, July 17, 2026, at 5:00 P.M. on the third floor of Bengal Shilpalay in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. This discussion was organised to commemorate the birth anniversary of distinguished poet, essayist, and literary editor Abul Hasnat. The event brought together prominent writers and editors to discuss the literary pursuits of emerging authors and the pivotal role editors play in nurturing new literary voices.
News Report / Jamir Nazir wins 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize following AI review
3 July 2026
Set in rural Trinidad, “The Serpent in the Grove” explores themes of betrayal, survival and the resilience of a woman's will.

Lucy Foley’s ‘The Guest List’: Murder and intrigue at a secret celebrity wedding

The Guest List is a classic who-dun-it murder mystery, reminiscent of Dame Agatha Christie’s stories. Lucy Foley’s second novel takes us to a lavish celebrity wedding on a remote island off-coast of Ireland.
15 December 2021

Pashe Achi Initiative distributes books in exchange for plastic waste

In the latest initiative of Gronthomongol, a project aimed at rescuing the Nilkhet book market from the economic blows brought by the pandemic, youth organisation Pashe Achi Initiative are distributing books among readers in exchange for plastic waste.
11 December 2021

Jogabal NA Psychic Force? The Fortunes of Mesmerism in Colonial Bengal

The antepenultimate chapter of Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay’s novel Chandrashekhar (1875) is titled “Jogabal Na Psychic Force?” (Yogic Power or Psychic Force?).
10 December 2021

Disembodied

My body carved from abandoned bricks of a ruined temple,
10 December 2021

National award winner Kajol Ibrahim launches her memoir

In an intimate ceremony held at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on December 4, national award-winning dancer, choreographer, and stage performer Kajol Ibrahim launched her memoir, Nritte Gantha Kotha Mala, published by Ramon Publishers.
8 December 2021

Neutrality is an illusion in Katie Kitamura’s ‘Intimacies’

Katie Kitamura’s latest novel, Intimacies (Riverhead Books, 2021), is a stunning follow-up to its critically acclaimed predecessor, A Separation (2017).
8 December 2021

The comfort of books amidst wedding lights

It is December again and as evenings set in, Dhaka becomes brighter than it has been in the past few months.
8 December 2021

TWO POEMS

said wounds heal with time.
3 December 2021

A TERRESTRIAL OMNIBUS: When the Mango Tree Blossomed

When the Mango Tree Blossomed is a voluminous compilation of, as the book’s subtitle proclaims, fifty short stories from Bangladesh, edited by Niaz Zaman.
3 December 2021

‘Potrika Porbo’ magazine fair underway at Bengal Boi

Bengal Boi is hosting a magazine fair, ‘Potrika Porbo’, at their premises in Dhanmondi until Saturday, December 4.
2 December 2021

Dark Academia: Why we love it and what needs to change

Dusty libraries, tweed blazers, candles, classics, coffee pots and armchairs: these are some of the basic elements of a social media aesthetic when one is into Dark Academia.
1 December 2021

In 'Thug', Mike Dash myth-busts British India’s cult of stranglers

It is nearly impossible to know nothing about British India’s infamous cult that systematically killed and robbed Indian travelers for hundreds of years. However, almost every write-up available today is an exaggerated horror story that fails to reflect upon the real events.
1 December 2021

Manoranjan Byapari's 'Imaan': Between the familiar and the alien

Through Imaan's interactions with the world outside of the central jail in Kolkata, we meet rickshaw pullers, street hawkers, and tea-stall owners, who belong mostly to the lowest strata of the society and come from highly marginalised caste and economic backgrounds.
1 December 2021

Gyantapas Abdur Razzaq Foundation hosts discussion on freedom fighters of Dhaka

On November 27, Saturday at 7 PM, Gyantapas Abdur Razzaq Foundation hosted its fifth episode of their discussion series,‘Bidyapeeth Baithaki: Antaranga Alape Gunizan, online’. The topic of this week’s episode was ‘Crack Platoon: The Freedom Fighters of Dhaka’.
30 November 2021

Not All Stories Have a Finale

A Sonata has three major parts: exposition, development and recapitulation.
26 November 2021

Embroidery

Pink cherry blossoms, 
26 November 2021

Silence, a Cross-dresser from Medieval Europe

 I came across Heldris de Cornuälle’s Silence in 2011, a hundred years after its discovery in 1911. Dated to the early
26 November 2021

Han Kang's 'The Vegetarian': Surrealism and suffering in South Korea

Han Kang’s atmospheric novel, The Vegetarian (Portobello, 2016), is an evocative look at the psychosis of a woman plagued by her own humanity. In a masterstroke,
24 November 2021

Staff picks for Nonfiction November

Cleghorn pairs her personal experiences and traces through history how women's bodies have been taught to be hidden and shamed, instead of being taken as what it is—a biological entity.
24 November 2021

IN MEMORY OF HASAN AZIZUL HAQUE: Two tales of violence from the hands of a master

Hasan Azizul Haque, who passed away on November 15, 2021, began his career with the publication of the short story “Shokun” in 1960, and since its publication till today, it has shocked and stupefied most readers who have found their way to this unique and masterfully crafted story—reading it is not an experience one forgets easily, or ever.
24 November 2021
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