Essay / ‘The Odyssey’ and what we lose when myth belongs only to its heroes
5 HOUR(s)
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Essay
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026) is everything audiences expect from a modern mythological epic: grand battles, brutal violence and a hero caught between glory and guilt. Adapted from Homer’s ancient Greek poem, the film is an impressive feat of action-adventure cinema. But for all its spectacle, it loses something when the myth remains so firmly centred on its hero: the women whose stories are left underwritten.
News Report / BRAC Institute of Languages and The Daily Star redefine English Education for youth
13 September 2026
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News
Book review: Fiction / Finding home, identity, and art in ‘Parsa’s Pithas’
11 September 2026
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Reviews
Essay / Out of the archives, into the feed
11 September 2026
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Books & Literature
Event Report / Kobitabela: a soulful afternoon
9 September 2026
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News
Creative Nonfiction / Two nights that lit Azimpur
5 September 2026
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Creative non-fiction
Essay / Whose literary production?: Anthropic’s Project Panama
5 September 2026
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Essay
Reflections / Artificial convenience vs real-life consequences
3 September 2026
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Reflection
Essay / When writing needs an alibi
3 September 2026
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Essay
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.
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.
News Report / Kazuo Ishiguro set to return with new novel in 2027
20 June 2026
Ishiguro’s novels have, over his 40-plus-year career, ranged from historical fiction to fantasy to science fiction.
The shelf / 7 Asian healing fiction recommendations for rainy days
18 June 2026
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The Shelf
You know when the sky trades its brightness for a low, silver hue, and you wrap your fingers tightly around your tea, seeking that small, steady pulse of warmth. This is the essence of healing fiction. Often rooted in the Japanese concept of iyashikei, these stories focus on the quiet spirit through small, everyday moments. You may have already heard of Days at the Morisaki Bookshop or We’ll Prescribe You a Cat. While those popular favourites have opened a door for many, there are a few other tales worth the read.
Reflections / In the age of AI allegations
13 June 2026
Fiction / Body Selim
18 April 2026
P. Paramita’s ‘Appetite’ sells out on launch day at New York’s Strand Bookstore
A Bangladeshi story found an eager audience in the heart of New York as P. Paramita’s debut novel, Appetite, sold out its available copies on the day of its launch at the historic Strand Bookstore in Manhattan on August 6, 2026.
13 August 2026
Remembering Humayun Azad, the feminist
Humayun Azad has been described by different adjectives: progressive, anti-traditionalist, and anti-establishment- at different times.
13 August 2026
Why we should let adaptations be adaptations
From the moment it was first announced to its theatrical release, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026) has sparked immense debate amongst fans and critics alike.
13 August 2026
Project Ladyland 2026, a theatre production inspired by Sultana’s Dream, premieres on 13 August at Bangladesh Mohila Samity
Project Ladyland 2026, a theatrical production inspired by Begum Rokeya’s classic fiction, Sultana’s Dream, was launched at Aloki on August 8th, 2026. The project is sponsored by HerStory Foundation, supported by the British Council, and Women of the World (WOW) Foundation.
9 August 2026
A humanist in the age of AI
For centuries, literature asked us to believe that language is more than information, that it’s a rich repository of history, memory, grief, longing, humour, silence, and entire ways of seeing and making sense of the world.
8 August 2026
Sapiosexual
A single night’s rain submerged Dhaka city, and my mind kept drifting back to my friend Kaisar.
8 August 2026
Rabindranath, Nazrul, Jibanananda: Predecessor and contemporary
So, unlike Rabindranath Tagore, who left documented comments on Jibanananda, Nazrul did not leave an authenticated body of criticism on him. What survives is essentially that famous humorous remark, whose authenticity cannot be verified beyond later recollections.
7 August 2026
Three realms, one unforgettable love story
This book has been categorised as a fantasy romance, but it has much wider dimensions than that.
6 August 2026
Anxiety, unmarriedness, and ‘An Eye and a Leg’
Anxiety as an emotion is revelatory of not only individual fears, but structural ones.
6 August 2026
Ode to my girls
No river remembers
the exact moment
it became a river.
It remembers rain, perhaps.
2 August 2026
Witnessing Alzheimer’s through Ernaux’s unflinching prose
Memory is the bedrock of human existence. But what happens when that bedrock begins to crumble and a loved one starts to fade away? In I Remain in Darkness (originally Je ne suis pas sortie de ma nuit, translated by Tanya Leslie), Annie Ernaux offers a raw, unflinching, and deeply poetic exploration of this existential crisis.
31 July 2026
A beginner’s guide to ‘Khwabnama’
In the year 1996, just a year before his untimely death, Aktaruzzaman Elias had published his magnum opus, Khwabnama.
31 July 2026
The Booker Prize 2026 longlist blends acclaimed authors with fresh literary voices
The longlist for the Booker Prize 2026 has been unveiled, highlighting 13 novels that span a wide range of genres, settings, and themes. The selection has been made from 163 submissions— which includes previous Booker winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart, alongside former shortlisted author Elizabeth Strout, and 10 first-time longlistees. The list, this year, also introduced three debut novelists.
30 July 2026
“We do not live outside history”: Dr. Azfar Hussain on humanism, fascism, and the July Uprising
“It is one of those questions that politely pretends to be a title, but secretly aspires to be a life’s work,” began Dr. Azfar Hussain on an overcast evening on the July 23, 2026, addressing a packed forum hall at the University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh (ULAB), alluding to the title of his public lecture: What Does It Mean to Be Human in the Age of 'Posthumanism' and Global Fascism?
26 July 2026
You ask me
If I’m doing well but the sun is being cruel as I protest the rape and murder of yet another child.
My belly gurgles—I wanted to feel grateful this Ramadan,
25 July 2026
The writing’s boring, so he’s a third-class writer
Some authors are gadflies, ever stinging and nettling the established order. Some write for more or less the same reason a carpenter works with wood, or a sous-chef does mise en place.
25 July 2026
A historian’s vision vis-a-vis Hindutva mythmaking
Illustrious historian Romila Thapar’s monumental memoir, Just Being, explores many subjects: her childhood days in Lahore, exciting archaeological expeditions, enunciation of the historiography she has followed, etc. But what perhaps stands out in this fascinating book is her sustained confrontation with Hindutva, which is still continuing unabated.
23 July 2026
The queen who would not stay dead
The history of the six wives of Henry VIII has become the stuff of legend in English history.
23 July 2026
Lira’s glasses
“Mama, I will drive you”, their chauffeur pleaded.
“I can drive, Mama. Please take a day off”, she smiled at him.
Before starting the car, she took her purse in her hands, opened it slowly, and put on her glasses. She decided to see, after all.
19 July 2026
Special Discussion Marks Abul Hasnat’s Birth Anniversary: ‘Nabiner Shahittya: Shwapna O Shwapnabhongo’
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.
19 July 2026
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