Bits and Pieces of Hay Festival

As Bill Clinton said, “Hay is the Woodstock of the mind,” this year, the Hay Festival of Literature and Arts celebrates 25 years of bringing together great writers, poets, scientists, lyricists, comedians, novelists, environmentalists, publishers and bibliophiles under one platform. From November 15-17, 2012, the Hay Festival Dhaka will be held at the Bangla Academy and a free gig at Dhanmondi's Rabindra Sarobor. The bilingual programme combines panel discussions, recitations, launching of books and much more. Though entry is free it is suggested that you pre-register at hayfestival.org/dhaka. Several new publications will be launched among which glimpse of a few are given below.

Bengal Lights
Publishers: Kazi Anis Ahmed and the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB), with a panel of editors.

Bengal Lights aims to cater to the need for a quality literary journal in English, from Bangladesh. This bi-annual journal will contain in-depth and up-to-date information of literary events, along with writers' profiles, book reviews, prose and poetry, blogs, videos, and much more.

The Wonders of Vilayet
By Mirza Sheikh I'tesamuddin
Translated by Kaiser Haq
Publisher: Writers.ink.

An account of a Bengali munshi and Mughal courtier's
diplomatic mission to the British royal court and is the first complete English translation of his memoir, written in Persian. It is a unique historical document and an entertaining travel narrative.

Beyond the Line
Publisher: The Daily Star Books

The plot of this autobiography is the day Pakistan resolution was passed in Lahore in 1940 and takes us on a journey through India's story of a nation working on its foreign policy, economic reforms, relations with neighbouring countries, and dealing with coalition politics, among others. 'Beyond the Line' is a detailed inside view of India
since 1947.

Published in the Streets of Dhaka: Collected Poems
By Kaiser Haq
Publisher: The University Press Limited (UPL).

Professor Kaiser Haq hardly needs an introduction. This year's Hay Festival will launch four books of Haq. This new volume of poetry contains one of his earliest works and includes many from his debut collections and new additions.

Lifelines:
New Writing from Bangladesh
Edited by Farah Ghuznavi
Publisher: Zubaan Books

This anthology features 15 stories by contributors with their fresh perspectives. On November 3, 2012 the book was launched at the South Asian Literature Festival, in London. The cover of the book is an artwork by Tayeba Begum Lipi. Her work compliments the stylish, provocative and varied stories of contemporary life in Bangladesh.

The Bookworm is a publishing house located at the Old Airport Road. Here, you can get a good number of books by the authors taking part in the Hay festival. So grab your copies of award winning books such as Shehan Karunatilaka's 'Chinaman' and Phillip Hensher's latest novel, 'Scenes from Early Life' and many more.