“At the factory her job is to attach buttons to shirts, pants and dresses all day long. Then, very late at night, in the darkness, she returns and reenters her cave.” Story of the Week (May 2), by Shahaduzzaman. Translated from Bengali by Shabnam Nadiya.
“During the month of Bhadro, the moon is totally eclipsed in the evening. The darkness of that night can only be compared to a blind inferno.” Story of the Week (February 21 – Language Martyrs’ Day), by Anwar Shahadat. Translated from Bengali by Masrufa Ayesha Nusrat.
Farah Ghuznavi discusses the dangers of stereotyping, the riches of Bangla literature, and the reasons why no one should be a writer…
“you let go beauty/ long ago/ well before the first scratch// the second bruise/ the third open wound/ fading into a flush of rust…” By Abeer Hoque.
“In the benighted landscape of palace ruins,/the blind poplars, in an abortive, elliptical row,/put their foreheads to the moon…” By Raza Ali Hasan
“Benevolent words abound in accounts of Hay Festival Dhaka – beauty, interaction, generosity… yet the festival also witnessed to great effect a less congenial aspect of poetic spirit, namely poets’ love of a good scrap!”
Eurig Salisbury reports from the Hay Festival in Dhaka.
“I have come to admire/ the resilience of this tiger land…” By Mir Mahfuz Ali
“Bangladesh, I’m searching for your homeless –/ for where they can set up house in the hearts of mango-people,/ fruits exploding on shy branches…” By Mir Mahfuz Ali
“Just a few grains of rice can be of great lift: a little fire,/ a pot full of water…” By Raza Ali Hasan
“I’m not crazy, you know, even if they’ve sent me to you for an assessment…” By Farah Ghuznavi.