Daily Star Books

Daily Star Books

An afternoon with Abeer Hoque and Nupu Press: A celebration of creativity

The cozy atmosphere was set up by Bookworm Bangladesh, with the owner Amina Rahman kicking things off. Both Press and Hoque read out excerpts from their own books.

1d ago

‘Sisters in the mirror’: Elora Shehabuddin’s response to the West’s idea of feminism

The book is especially relevant in the context of Bangalee women’s life because usually while talking about Islam and women, the West fails to take the South Asian Bangalee women into account.

2d ago

Of losses and languages: reviewing Han Kang’s 'Greek Lessons'

There is a sense of inexorable catharsis, and dare I say— spirituality—when the protagonists begin their journey into one another since they alone embody the ideas and predicaments of the text. 

4d ago

Tribute / Au Revoir, Milan Kundera

On July 11, 2023, the world said goodbye to Czech-born French novelist, Milan Kundera.

5d ago

Feature / The thing about popular and overhyped books

“Overhyped books are the empty calories of the literary world.”

5d ago

Rabindranath’s song-lyrics in translation by Professor Fakrul Alam

Gitabitan: Selected Song-Lyrics of Rabindranath Tagore, containing over 300 Tagore song-lyrics translated into English, is now available for purchase in bookstores and on online websites.

6d ago

Have you met the ‘Ghost of Fire’?

Given the background of the main characters, Bhooter Agun has a diverse narrative and depicts a world of diverging cultures, traditions, customs, and practices.

6d ago

Exploring the transformative power of fanfiction

While the term "fanfiction" may not have existed, the practice certainly did. Fanfiction has been argued to have influenced significant literary works such as the Homeric epics, Shakespeare's plays, and even Miguel Cervantes' Don Quixote.

1w ago

5 travel books to get you in the mood for travelling

It must be surreal to observe the same moon from another destination of the world, from a place that is unfathomable to you, that for a long time seemed like a stranger.

Where does a story end, and a lie begin?

Through its 300 pages, Kuang exposes the performative nature of anti-racism in publishing: showcasing the boxes that people of colour get put in and how difficult it is for them to be heard.

‘Plants of the Quran’ explores flora dating back 1400 years

Dr Shahina Ghazanfar, the author of a series of books on the flora of the Middle East who compiled this compendium, explains: “This is not a religious book but about history and culture. It promotes the pleasure of research and learning, I hope as much for my readers as for myself”. 

Like father, unlike son: Martin Amis’s place in literature

Perhaps Martin Amis’s works do not grab me for the most part because it veers too far away from the humanism of, say, Saul Bellow—a writer Martin greatly admires and has written about extensively.

Racism and geopolitics in South Africa

Institutional racism in colonies, migration, flawed anti-monarchy sentiments stemming from personal vendettas, and the need for rebellion permeate the lives of these characters.

The rebels of Madhusudan

Neeldhaja is the first Bangla poem to be written in the form of a letter; it places a female figure with a rebellious demeanor as the protagonist of a historical narrative.

Everybody hates fantasy. Let’s talk about it.

Based on anecdotal evidence, complaints about the genre being “pure escapism”, “childish” and “uninteresting” are common. There are also reviews which accuse fantasy literature of being “formulaic”, “out of touch” and even “outdated”.

Random House Canada accepting open submissions from underrepresented writers

Following submission, the editorial team will respond to writers they are interested within six months.

A Rajshahi University scholar who has helped little magazines thrive

Four little magazines have been published under his editorship.

5 own voices romance books that will warm your heart

The path towards truly diverse representation in literature necessitates that marginalised authors are given the chance to tell their own stories and shape our understanding of diverse experiences. 

Bengal Institute to hold nonfiction writing workshop

Participants at the workshop will be introduced to a variety of texts and materials on these topics. It will focus on writing as both craft and concept, how to think about them to write about them.

Commonwealth Short Story Prize ’23 regional winners announced

This year’s submissions included the first ever stories from Togo and Gabon, the newest members of the Commonwealth.

The murky waters of using AI for writing

As AI evolves, it is crucial to establish ethical standards and regulations to address potential challenges.