2023 in Review

In 2022, Bangladeshi authors delivered outstanding literary works. Iffat Nawaz's Shurjo's Clan (Penguin India, 2023) masterfully intertwined history and magical realism, Nilopar Uddin's The Halfways (HQ, 2022) explored identity and belonging through a British-Sylheti family, and Anjum N. Choudhury's The Divining Thread (Harper Collins India, 2023) captivated readers with the  enchanting story of  Zarene.

The trend continued into 2023, marking another remarkable period in Bangladeshi  literature that celebrated our history and culture through the lens of literature. Some of these works have inspected the complex lives of modern Bangalis while some have traced the contours of our past often not examined. Here's your chance to read some of the releases of this year by Bangladeshi authors, if you haven't read them yet. 

The Children of This Madness
Gemini Wahhaj
7.13 Books, 2023

In Gemini Wahhaj's debut novel, The Children of This Madness, the narrative centres around the life of engineering professor Nasir Uddin and his daughter Beena, an aspiring PhD candidate residing in the US. 

The book is a complex weaving of narratives as it explores the impact of the US war in Iraq on the family's lives. Beena, residing in Houston's small Bengali American community filled with engineers and PhD academics, grapples with her sense of belonging. The community individuals also happen to be her father's former students. She harbours conflicted feelings about the community as they are part of the same corporate structures she associates with the destruction in Iraq, where she spent part of her childhood. 

Meanwhile, Nasir Uddin's story is a vastly different picture of struggle. Nasir Uddin's own path from a challenging childhood in Bangladesh to his later pursuits in engineering led him to teaching jobs in Iraq.  Nasir, now a widower, travels to America to visit Beena and reconnect with numerous former students in Houston, and the narrative takes shape.

Through the characters Beena and Nasir in The Children of This Madness, the book provides a unique perspective on the intricacies of the Bengali-American immigrant journey. 

The Inheritors
Nadeem Zaman
Hachette India, 2023

In Nadeem Zaman's novel The Inheritors, a contemporary reimagining of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the story unfolds in the bustling city of Dhaka, offering a fresh perspective on Gatsby's classic themes. 

The novel follows Nisar Chowdhury, a 40-year-old aspiring novelist returning from America to Dhaka to  resolve property-related disputes. Nisar also hopes to grasp his birth-city in hopes of writing a book about it. But, the Dhaka Nisar returns to is a city that's rapidly transforming where the roads of Gulshan Avenue are no longer open and wide with houses scattered on the sides as he remembers it, and grasslands have turned into paved roads that lead to shopping centres, residential areas and housing developments. 

The protagonist then gets swept up into the social circles of Dhaka's elite, courtesy of her cousin Disha, who is a socialite. Disha's ex-husband Junaid Gazi is also the wealthy businessman who has offered to buy up all of Nisar's family properties.  

The novel explores familiar themes reminiscent of The Great Gatsby, of wealth, privilege, and of course, mystery, with Nisar taking on the role of Nick, Disha being Daisy, and Gazi portraying Gatsby.

In its modern narrative, Nadeem Zaman's ambitious novel, The Inheritors, pays tribute to Fitzgerald's classic while delving into the intricate themes of ambition, wealth, and societal dynamics in Dhaka's ever-changing landscape. If the premise isn't exciting enough, the novel is also slated for adaptation into a limited series, and will be produced by Bangladeshi author Sharbari Zohra Ahmed.

Bengal Hound
Rahad Abir
Gaudy Boy, 2023

What did the politically turbulent 1960s Dhaka look like in the lead-up to Bangladesh's independence? In Rahad Abir's debut novel Bengal Hound, Shelley Majumdar's story unfolds against the backdrop of late 1960s East Pakistan. Shelley Majumder, a young Hindu man studying English at Dhaka University, decides to remain in East Pakistan with his father while his mother and sisters relocate to India.

The story progresses as Shelley, a young Hindu man, elopes with his childhood sweetheart, Roxana, a Muslim girl from their village.

While Tahmima Anam's Bangladesh trilogy and numerous other books explore the liberation war of '71 as a central theme, Rahad Abir's work, set in the late 1960s, offers a daring portrayal of the period leading up to the birth of Bangladesh. This narrative encompasses pivotal moments in our history, reflecting the communal tension of the era, and the uprising in 1969.

Rahad Abir's narrative not only examines historical events but also delves into the complexities of identity, love, and resilience, making Bengal Hound a compelling and moving read. 

Bangladesh: A Literary Journey through 50 Short Stories
Rifat Munim
Bee Books, 2023

The cover of Bangladesh: A Literary Journey through 50 Short Stories captivates readers with its eye-catching art—a crimson sun setting over the riverine landscape similar to the crimson in the national flag, and the vivid green mirroring the lush greenery of Bangladesh. This visual allure is not just aesthetic; it encapsulates the essence of the book, as the anthology curated by journalist Rifat Munim is a literary exploration of Bangladesh itself.

Within the pages of this volume are 50 short stories, a mosaic of literary contributions spanning five decades—from the 1950s to the 1990s. The anthology features works from literary figures such as Syed Waliullah, Syed Mujtaba Ali, Shawkat Ali, Kayes Ahmed, to contemporary voices like Shahaduz Zaman, Imtiar Shamim, Harishankar Jaladas, Shaheen Akhtar, Purabi Basu, and more. This anthology assembles the greatest short fiction of our times and showcases the richness and sheer diversity of Bangladeshi short fiction.

Carefully curated, these stories provide readers with a rare glimpse into the evolution of Bangladeshi fiction. Bangladesh: A Literary Journey through 50 Short Stories emerges not just as a book but as a testament to the evolution and depth of the Bangladeshi literary landscape.

Beyond this list, British-Bangladeshi environmentalist and birdwatcher Mya-Rose Craig's memoir Birdgirl (Celadon Books, 2023) and Dina Begum's cookbook of Bangladesh recipes, titled Made in Bangladesh: Recipes and Stories from a Home Kitchen (Hardie Grant, 2023) deserve a mention.

As we turn to a new page and enter a new year full of possibilities, here's hoping that it ushers in a variety of books that transform the readers, leave an indelible mark on our lives,  and expand the  literary landscape. In the words of Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes, "Literature overtakes history, for literature gives you more than one life. It expands experience and opens new opportunities to readers."

Usraat Fahmidah is a freelance journalist & author. You can find her on X @usraatfahmidah.