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.

Refugees in the Public Imagination: The Conference that brought out Gripping Tales of (Dis)location and (Dis)placement

Refugee, migration and relocation have played prominent roles in literature and public spheres alike. In recent times for Bangladesh, it
23 February 2018

A Little Bird

It was beginning to get a little warmer. The sun came up early in the morning. The buds were sprouting from the bare branches of the trees in the backyard.
16 February 2018

They Also Were Involved

The subtitle of the book proposes it all: fourteen writers reminisce about their own, or their dear ones' experiences immediately prior to, or during, or at the end of the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
16 February 2018

Ekushey Padak

The Daily Star Literature team heartily congratulates Syed Manzoorul Islam, Saiful Islam Khan (poet Hayat Saef), Subrata Barua, Robiul Hussain and Khalekdad Chowdhury (posthumous), who have been awarded the Ekushey Padak 2018 for their contribution in language and literature.
16 February 2018

Newspapers at the Breakfast Table

With the gathering helpless compulsive rage
16 February 2018

Prof. Rafiqul Islam: A Witness to the Language Movement and the Liberation of Bangladesh

He did not look at me once. Or even if he did, I doubt he saw me. His eyes were engrossed in deep thought; to me he seemed to be dipping in the deep waters of memory. Bent with age, he sat at his desk.
16 February 2018

LOVE HAS NO STORY TO TELL

One evening, while standing on the veranda of their 6th floor apartment, Sonia fell—with a big thud—in love. The thud was so loud
9 February 2018

Rabindranath Tagore's Spring Songs

Since whether you keep me in mind or not isn't in my mind at all,
9 February 2018

All about Love

“So, Monsieur! What are you going to sing for me today? Neele neele ambar, perhaps?” she asked flaunting her azure saree. For once,
9 February 2018

Whirlpool of Our Stories

And I come here to take your hand,
9 February 2018

Caricature

Caricature boys
9 February 2018

The Old City

Here are the steps leading down to the lake
9 February 2018

Companions

They sit on the veranda every afternoon; an old man and an old woman. The man is in his seventies with white hair thinning in the
9 February 2018

Verses on love and agony: Mashuk Chowdhury's Swarger Replica

Two years earlier I had reviewed one of Mashuk Chowdhury's poetry collections Nodir Nam Dusshomoy for The Daily Star Book Review
9 February 2018

In a world crippled by biotech apocalypse…

Jeff Vandermeer beautifully paints a dystopian imagery in his latest title, Borne. He welcomes the readers to a dangerous city by a toxic
7 February 2018

The Three-Legged Cat

Ammu is crying in the next room. Incessantly. I can't stand it any longer. Why did she do it? I have no doubt that she did it even
2 February 2018

When Kokeshi Sleeps

Go hush hush, go shh shh
2 February 2018

Crossing Borders

In one of my trips to the USA, I had a ticket on Royal Jordanian Airlines with a stopover at Amman. I halted there for three days, saw
2 February 2018

Going Beyond Gossip and Name-Dropping?

“Biographies do walk the 'precarious high wire between fiction and non-fiction” (Claire Battershill in “No One Wants Biography”).
2 February 2018

Making Revolution Strange/r: Viktor Shklovsky and the Bolsheviks

1978. When Serena Vitale, an Italian writer and translator, managed her third meeting with Viktor Shklovsky (1893-1984), the
2 February 2018
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