The Bangladesh Traveller

Essential reading – recommended books and movies of Bangladesh

Posted on 11. Feb, 2009 by Mikey Leung in Blog
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~story by Mikey Leung~

Have you got a book/movie recommendation for Bangladesh? Have a look at this list and let us know if you have something to add. The following is by no means an exhaustive list, just some of our favourites we’ve seen over the years from Bangladesh.

FICTION

• Shame by Taslima Nasreen. Published 1997 by Penguin Books. As a fictional account with a factual underpinning, this novel depicts the history surrounding the destruction of Babri Masjid in Uttar Pradesh through the eyes of a Hindu family in Bangladesh. The event had repercussions around South Asia, including the targeting of Hindus inside Bangladesh. The book garnered Nasreen a religious fatwah declaring she should be murdered and she very nearly was on several occasions during speaking engagements. She currently lives in exile in Paris.
• The Golden Age by Thamima Anam. Published 2007 by Harper Collins. Anam’s debut novel takes readers directly into a personal story of the Liberation War, told from view of Rehana Haque. The novel reveals the young widow’s attempts at a normal domestic life amidst the chaos and murder of the Liberation War.
• Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie. Published 1981 by Jonathan Cape. In his typical frenetic voice, Rushdie describes the tumultuous periods following partition through the eyes of the its protagonist, Saleem Sinai. The book has a component covering the Liberation War.
• Shantaram by David Gregory Roberts. Published 2003 by Scribe Publications. A hefty chronicle of ‘fictional’ criminal Lindsay Ford, a heroin addict turned bank robber who escapes from an Australian prison to Mumbai. While no part of the novel takes place in Bangladesh, Ford spends a portion of the novel living in a slum and serving as its doctor, mirroring Roberts’ own experiences in India’s commercial capital.
• The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh. Published A fictional novel depicting the natural and human hazards inhabiting the Sundarbans, told through the eyes of a passionate dolphin researcher. An excellent read to take before and during a Sundarbans journey.
• Selected Short Stories by Rabindranath Tagore. Published 2005 by Penguin Classics. An excellent grouping of Tagore’s most profound and humanistic short stories, forming part of the work that helped earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 (he won it primarily for Gitanjali, a book of his most famous poems).
• Selected Poems by Rabindranath Tagore. Published 2005 by Penguin Classics. The great majority of Tagore’s work has yet to be translated to English but thanks to the tireless efforts of William Radice, this book of Tagore’s poetry can be enjoyed by the English-speaking world.
• Jibananda Das, Selected Poems with an Introduction, Chronology, and Glossary. translated by Fakrul Alam. Published 1999 by University Press Limited. Largely acknowledged to be one of the best Bengali poets of the late 20th century, well after his death. Das’ poems received more attention due to its post-modernistic qualities, making him a scribe well ahead of his time.

NON-FICTION
Most of the below titles, save for Dr. Mohammad Yunus’ books, are hard to find although most are available on Amazon. Folk International and Words and Pages maintains the best collection of relevant titles in Gulshan, although the Bookworm, near the old airport, does yield a few gems. If you want to dig deeper, visit the collection of the University Press Limited in Motijheel or the bookstores at New Market.

• Reflections on the Water by James Novak. Published 1993 by University Press Limited and Indiana Press Limited. One of the most passionate accounts written on the history, birth and childhood of Bengal and Bangladesh. Novak was a correspondent based in Dhaka for several years during the 1980s. A must read for any visitor to Bangladesh.
• Postcards from Bangladesh by Sudeep Sen, Tanvir and Kelley Lynch. Published 2002 by University Press Limited. A lovingly crafted photography book and one of the best available on Bangladesh.
• Banker to the Poor by Mohammad Yunus. Published 2003 by the Grameen Bank. Dr. Yunus’ autobiography, including the history behind the founding of Grameen Bank. Available for purchase at Grameen Bank from their library.
• Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism by Mohammad Yunus. Published 2008 by the Grameen Bank. Dr. Yunus’ inspirational post-Nobel Prize book, where he details the potential of a new economic model that supports community development.
• A Quiet Violence: View from a Bangladesh Village by Betsy Hartmann and James K. Boyce. Published 1985 by Food First. Distinctly hard to find in Bangladesh, but a worthwhile read for its direct insights into village culture in post-war Bangladesh.
• Songs from the River’s Edge by Katy Gardner. Published 1997 by Pluto Press.
• Bangladesh: From a Nation to State by Craig Baxter. Published 1998 by Westview Press.
• The Bengal Borderland: Beyond State and Nation in South Asia by William van Schendel. Published 2005 by Anthem Press.

MOVIES

• Tears of Karnaphuli. Directed by Tanvir Mokammel. A documentary account of the effects of the Chittagong Hill Tracts’ Kaptai Dam. Provides great insight into the guerrilla insurgency that plagued the region until the 1997 peace treaty.
• Ganges. Created by BBC Natural History Unit, originally aired 2007. A fantastically filmed documentary on the natural and cultural significance of the Ganges river system, whose third component features footage from the Bangladeshi Sundarban.
• The Clay Bird (Matir Moyna). Directed 2002 by Tareque Masud. A film capturing the director’s own experiences growing up in a madrassah during the turbulent pre-Liberation War period. Highly recommended viewing.
• The Journey (Ontarjatra). Directed 2006 by Tareque Masud. A simply-filmed homecoming journey taken by a divorced mother and her son to their native Sylhet home to pay their last respects to the husband and father.
• The Apu Trilogy. Directed by Satyajit Ray. The most prominent work of the legendary Bengali film director.
• My Architect, A Son’s Journey. Directed 2003 by Nathaniel Khan. Documentary detailing Nathaniel Khan’s search for the soul of his late father, legendary architect Louis Khan. Includes some very rare footage of the inside of Bangladesh’s stunning National Assembly building.
• Bostrobalikara: the Garment Girls of Bangladesh. Directed 2007 by Tanvir Mokammel. A compelling inside look at 2 million people – mostly women – powering Bangladeshi’s burgeoning garment industry.
• Concert for Bangladesh. Film released 1972. Footage from George Harrison’s 1 Aug 1971 benefit concerts that raised money for the refugees of the Liberation War.

Tags: Books, Media, Movies