Sponsored by IFIC Bank, this year's Kali O Kolom Torun Kabi O Lokhok Purushkar (Young Poets and Writers Award) will be awarded to Mozaffar Hossain under the "literature" category for his novel Timirjatra, Masud Parvez under the "research" category for Chalachitronama, Izaz Ahmed Milon under the category of "liberation war literature" for 1971: Bidhasta Bariyay Shudhui Lash Ebong, and Ranjit Sarkar under the "children's literature" category for School E Muktijuddho Hoyechilo. Submissions for the poetry category were not notable enough to merit awards, judges confirmed.

Since 2008, Kali O Kolom magazine has been conferring the prize to encourage emerging young writers and poets in Bangladesh. So far, 43 such artists have been awarded under the five categories of literature, research, liberation war literature, children's literature, and poetry.

In Ranjit Sarkar's novel School E Muktijuddho Hoyechilo (Adhyayan), the Pakistan Army set up camp in a village school and unleash a spree of murder and torture on the villagers, until the Mukti Bahini arrive to their rescue. Following similar themes, Izaz Ahmed Milon's 1971: Bidhasta Bariyay Shudhui Lash Ebong (Anyaprokash) revisits episodes of the liberation war as they unfolded in Gazipur's Bariya area. On May 14, 1971, Pakistani forces surrounded and killed the Hindu residents of the area; 200 people were killed and their houses were razed. 

Mozaffar Hossain's debut novel Timirjatra (Panjeree Publications) similarly, explores the sociopolitical upheaval and psychological decay wrought by the events of 1971. "Hossain's prose is both ruthless and fluent, touched by surrealism and magic realism", the award committee said in a press release.

In research-category winner Chalachitranama (Okhor Prokashani), meanwhile, Masud Parvez explores filmmaking techniques of past years, the state of the film industry today, and its potential in days to come. It draws Korean and Russian filmmaking into the discussion, and engages with the works of Soumitra Chatterjee, Humayun Faridi, Syed Shamsul Huq, Tareq Masud, and more.

This year's award ceremony will be held virtually on June 18 and broadcasted live on the Kali O Kolom and IFIC Bank Facebook pages. Novelist Wasi Ahmed, Rabindra Bharati literary academic Pabitra Sarkar, and Kali O Kolom publisher Abul Khair will preside as special guests. The programme will include a musical performance by Aditi Mohsin.

For more book-related news and views, follow Daily Star Books on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.