BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / Lost in translation, looking for home

25 September 2026 • Books & Literature
I think what stayed with me most about R. F. Kuang’s Taipei Story was not its politics, its questions about diaspora, or even its fascination with a new language.

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.

Marriage of art and industry: A book illustrates the Hamiduzzaman Sculpture Park

70 percent of these beautiful sculptures are built from the leftover scraps of the Summit Gazipur (464 MW) Power Plant.
24 January 2023

Defining Haiku poetry with poet Quamrul Hassan

Haiku is a poem in three lines that captures the image of a single moment in the reader’s mind.
23 January 2023

Amitav Ghosh visits ancestral home in Gopalganj

Ulpur village served as the seat of the Zamindari and Jagir of the Basu Roy Chowdhury family.
22 January 2023

Revisiting German and Bengali folklore in ‘Myth Bridge’

Here, Rapunzel, Hercules, Bon Bibi, and King Solomon might be having a gala time over tea, or fighting their own battles.
21 January 2023

On a Thursday on Kazi Nazrul Avenue

On a Thursday, I went back home, and I took a walk./ On the sidewalk, I saw a splash of maroon on a grey block.
20 January 2023

Are you okay/do you want to talk about it

You’re sitting on the couch/ And you’re tapping your feet at 135 miles per hour/ You’re waiting for something to happen
20 January 2023

Ghosts in Bangla literature and culture

“Bhoot”, the Bangla word for ghost, derives from the Sanskrit word Bhūta, referring to living beings and the past. Later, it also came to mean ‘disembodied spirit.’ Ghost stories carry a special tradition in Bangla literature and the root lies in folklore and rural culture.
20 January 2023

Fail better: A new year’s resolution

But I understand. I am part of a historic pattern. So not everything is personal. I can't help but fall into some of the traps and become prey to some of the vultures.
20 January 2023

First look at Rumaan Alam’s ‘Leave The World Behind’ adaptation

Netflix’s adaptation of the novel features Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, Myha'la Herrold, and Kevin Bacon in lead roles, with the film being directed by Sam Esmail, creator and director of popular TV show, Mr. Robot.
20 January 2023

To be human for the corporation: Olga Ravn’s ‘The Employees’

These characters, human and machine alike, are invited to provide witness statements about their working environment to a commission, which form the entirety of the novel—a design that helps Ravn bring about an atmosphere of tension.
19 January 2023

Livraria Lello: the bookstore that inspired Flourish and Blotts

Visiting the Livaria Lello transports any Harry Potter fan to Flourish and Blotts.
19 January 2023

‘Eken Babu’ writer Sujan Dasgupta found dead under mysterious circumstances

He was reportedly found lying on the floor of his bedroom, according to the police. 
18 January 2023

William Dalrymple plays a role in world’s largest Commonwealth heritage conservation programme

The 216-year-old building of the former British Residency of Hyderabad (also known as Koti Residency or Hyderabad Residency) has been fully restored after a remodelling work of nearly 20 years.
16 January 2023

Hanif Kureishi's Twitter diary and why he couldn't make it to Bangladesh

"I realised I had to start again as a person and a writer. I had to become a comic writer, a serious writer, a writer who could integrate the madness and most interesting elements on the same page."
16 January 2023

Italian man steals unpublished books by award-winning authors

The more than 1,000 stolen manuscripts included a work by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
15 January 2023

‘Border Crossings’ hopes to reconcile diasporic identities

Syed Afzal Hasan Uddin says of first generation immigrants that they—who are already grappling with the duality of their multifaceted identities—were not seen as being Bengali enough by their parents.
14 January 2023

The art of moderating literary conversations

Rifat Munim highlighted how a moderator can be a catalyst to an engaging dialogue between the panellists and the audience,
13 January 2023

Foreign literature is a very precious tool for peace

Daily Star Books’ panel on January 8, Day 4 of the Dhaka Lit Fest sought to take the audience to a more existential aspect of what the festival attempts to do. Who chooses which stories deserve to become books? Who chooses whether news of those books will even reach readers? Does book criticism truly help the flow and business of literature within and across national borders?
13 January 2023

Goddesses of Bengal: The living myth of Devi Manasa, Bon Bibi and more

There is absolutely no necessary relationship between the worship of goddesses and the treatment of women.
13 January 2023

‘Khandito Nazrul’: Why he is and should be relevant

The difficulty of translation is one of the reasons why Nazrul is not discussed as extensively as Tagore in the west.
13 January 2023
Show in Mobile App Off
Show Sub Category Off
Show in Homescreen Off