Daily Star Books

Daily Star Books

THE SHELF / For the Curious Writer: Writing tips for the New Year

As 2025 rolls around, spelling yet another year of reading about writing and writing about reading, we asked the Star Books and Literature family to share their top writing tips for our readers.

BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / Through folklore and fantasy: An ode to Bangla mythological characters

Let me tell you a tale of a big Banyan tree, by a river that flows through the heart of a village near the borders of Bangladesh, and merges into the Ganges.

FROM PAGES TO PIXELS / Fascism, propaganda, and resistance: ‘Wicked’ as a mirror to our times

The basic premise is a powerful one: What if the Wicked Witch of the West wasn't so bad after all, and what if the Wizard and the seemingly perfect society he oversaw were the real threats?

BOOK REVIEW: NONFICTION / Redefining aviation safety culture

Research on Aviation Safety: Safety is a Mindset by Air Commodore Munim Khan Majlish is a fresh look at the concept of aviation safety challenging standard ideas about safety.

4w ago

BOOK REVIEW: NONFICTION / Confronting cultural silence on IPV in Bangladeshi communities

Proverbs, short and profound, often sum up wisdom passed down through generations. Bangla, one of the world’s most spoken languages, is rich with such gems. One such saying in the language—”manush ki bolbe?”—is central to Intimacies of Violence, a debut book by Dr Nadine Shaanta Murshid, an associate professor at the University at Buffalo.

1m ago

BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / A tale of survival, dominance, and self-discovery in colonial Bengal

Obayed Haq’s Bangla novel, Arkathi, is almost a bildungsroman tale filled with adventure and self-reflection. In true bildungsroman fashion, where the protagonist progresses into adulthood with room for growth and change, a bulk of Haq’s novel talks about the spiritual journey that an orphan, Naren, takes through a forest in order to mature, and comes out on the other side to realise a community’s deep, hidden truth.

1m ago

BOOK REVIEW: FICTION / I love you; it’s ruining my life

Someone in a chat group somewhere called Sally Rooney the ‘Taylor Swift’ of the literary world, and now I cannot unsee it.

1m ago

ALT LIT / How to make incendiary literature

Zines are a new name for an old thing. They are the revolutionary pamphlets of the 1930s, and the underground student manifestos of the ‘50-’60s. They are a distant relative of the tattered choti mags. There are many other examples from around the world of self-published, self-distributed, and often dangerous reading material.

1m ago

Taiwan romance novelist Chiung Yao dies at 86

Chiung Yao was a prolific writer, publishing over 60 books in a career spanning more than five decades.

1m ago

16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM / Of homes and the worlds: Women, violence, and the domestic space

November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, marks the beginning of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence which goes until December 10, Human Rights Day.

1m ago

THE SHELF / Storytelling, struggles, and reimagining identity

Patriarchy would have you believe that women are inherently complicated—creatures who must be defined, boxed in, or reduced to stereotypes.

1m ago

Through folklore and fantasy: An ode to Bangla mythological characters

Let me tell you a tale of a big Banyan tree, by a river that flows through the heart of a village near the borders of Bangladesh, and merges into the Ganges.

2w ago

For the Curious Writer: Writing tips for the New Year

As 2025 rolls around, spelling yet another year of reading about writing and writing about reading, we asked the Star Books and Literature family to share their top writing tips for our readers.

2w ago

‘Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood’ is a flawed but essential critique of the founding fathers of our nation

Review of ‘Bangladesh: A Legacy of Blood’ (Hodder and Stoughton, 1986) by Anthony Mascarenhas

2w ago

Bishwo Shahitto Kendro's mobile libraries on temporary halt

The mobile libraries will resume operating, serving readers again from February 1, 2025

2w ago

The role of women’s agency in transforming Bangladesh from a basket case into a beacon of progress

Review of ‘Renegotiating Patriarchy’ (LSE Press, 2024) by Naila Kabeer

3w ago

Translating magic: Netflix’s bold journey to bring Macondo to life

Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude (originally published in 1967) has long been heralded as a masterpiece of magical realism and a cornerstone of Latin American literature.

3w ago

2024: The year of literature in translation

Starting from comfort reads to kicking-my-feet-giggling romance to stimulating memoirs, there is a little bit for everyone from every country, including the vast South Asia. Here we have accumulated a few titles to give you an overview of all the translated works published this year. 

3w ago

Fascism, propaganda, and resistance: ‘Wicked’ as a mirror to our times

The basic premise is a powerful one: What if the Wicked Witch of the West wasn't so bad after all, and what if the Wizard and the seemingly perfect society he oversaw were the real threats?

4w ago

UPL marks its 49th anniversary with book fair celebration

The University Press Limited (UPL) celebrated its anniversary with readers, writers and well-wishers. The exchange of greetings was held from 4 PM to 8 PM at the UPL central office, located at Green Road in Farmgate area of Dhaka, on December 13 (Friday).

4w ago

‘Catfish and Avatars’: Discussions on cyber lives and cyber safety

The phrases “cyber safety” and “cyber lives” may seem vague and not very well understood among Bangladesh’s netizens.

4w ago