Reading into Disability: A List

Notions of “able” bodies and “differently abled” bodies are subjective categories that we, as a society, have drawn across our communities. The books in this list offer stories and insight into how one can better understand the experiences of persons with disabilities, and how the world can create a more inclusive environment.
2 December 2020, 18:00 PM

Dissent through the Ages in the Indian Subcontinent

Eminent scholar and Emeritus Professor of History at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Romila Thapar, in her latest book, Voices of Dissent (Seagull Books, 2020), explores important perspectives on dissent located in the historical and contemporary context of the Indian subcontinent.
2 December 2020, 18:00 PM

‘Saogat’ magazine and the gift of critical thought

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Bengal was rife with the struggle for identity and socio-political upheaval, particularly in the Bengali Muslim communities.
2 December 2020, 18:00 PM

Dream-Catcher

The two- storeyed house stood lonesome with paddy fields behind it. A big pond lay on the opposite side of the narrow alley. Taltoli is still a quiet neighborhood, yet to be devoured by the urban landscape because of its situation.
27 November 2020, 18:00 PM

Revisiting Karl Marx - Yet Again

When Waqar A Khan, Founder, Bangladesh Forum for Heritage Studies, requested yours truly to take a look at a book written by a nonagenarian academic from the UK named Eric Rahim,
27 November 2020, 18:00 PM

Dhaka Lives in My Backbone

The chestnut tree in my courtyard is in full bloom,
27 November 2020, 18:00 PM

Into the World of Bengali Literature with Soumitra

Though both books and films transport us into the world of story-telling, shaping up our perspectives on life, most readers argue that the true essence of a literary work can never be captured in adaptation.
25 November 2020, 18:00 PM

The Trauma of Identity

George Takei’s visceral and heart-wrenching graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy (2019), dives deep into the cold, dark heart of America’s perceived multiculturalism.
25 November 2020, 18:00 PM

In ‘Pachinko’, a Record of Forgotten Lives

Even in the most extraordinary of political times, someone must tend to the crops. Someone must weave clothes for the winter.
25 November 2020, 18:00 PM

In ‘Azadi’, Arundhati Roy explores the many layers of freedom

Arundhati Roy’s latest, Azadi (Penguin India, 2020), is a collection of nine stand-alone essays, most of which were delivered as lectures or published as columns between 2018 and 2020.
25 November 2020, 18:00 PM

Beyond the Rebel Poet: Nazrul’s Versatility

A bland, matter-of-fact statement about Kazi Nazrul Islam would be that he is the National Poet of Bangladesh
20 November 2020, 18:00 PM

Words

Words are strangers On a hospital bed Fighting for Life.
20 November 2020, 18:00 PM

The First Session

It was a mild Fall afternoon. The sky was clear and the sunlight was pouring into a medium sized office with floor length windows at 86 Nutt Road in Phoenixville, PA.
20 November 2020, 18:00 PM

‘Shuggie Bain’ wins the 2020 Booker prize

Shuggie Bain (Grove Press, 2020) is the story of a young boy living in “working-class” Glasgow in the 1980s.
20 November 2020, 09:59 AM

On Children’s Literature in Bangladesh: Then and Now

For World Children’s Day on Friday, November 20, Daily Star Books speaks to contemporary and veteran authors, publishers, and readers of children’s literature written in Bangladesh.
18 November 2020, 18:00 PM

5 NEW NON-FICTION RELEASES TO LOOK OUT FOR THIS MONTH

Autumn means a harvest of new books the world over. While novels and short stories continue to sweep through shelves, this past month
18 November 2020, 18:00 PM

Money Still Makes the World Go Round

Jacob Goldstein, author of Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing (Hachette Books, 2020), and the co-host of the radio podcast,
18 November 2020, 18:00 PM

Reclaiming Historical Spaces through Fiction

The Adventures of China Iron by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara (Charco Press, 2019) begins in the poor encampments of a village in 19th century Argentina, with the protagonist marvelling at the hope and light she finds in the sight of a puppy playing in some dirt.
18 November 2020, 18:00 PM

Minefields of Memory

Ceaseless the struggle to comprehend how Such cataclysmic upheavals, such seismic seizures Altering the landscape of lives, the very topography of trauma
13 November 2020, 18:00 PM

The Story of Stories

Once an inquisitive reader asked me, “Could you please tell me where do the fiction-writers get so many stories from?”
13 November 2020, 18:00 PM