Dhaka Saturday August 18, 2012

Editor's Note

The idea of a literary supplement on the occasion of Eid emanated from a conspicuous leap that Bangladeshi writing in English has recently taken. Alongside our seasoned authors, a comparatively younger breed has burst on to the literary scene. With critically acclaimed works of fiction and translation, this younger group as well as introducing Bangla literature to foreign readers has made their mark in international arena.

In what was an enthusiastic manifestation of literary passion in Bangladesh, last year's Hay Festival Dhaka saw a spontaneous convergence of hundreds of authors, artists, literary circles, aspiring young authors and readers from different languages and cultures. The tremendous success of Hay has given us enough reason to believe that Bangladeshi writing in English is put on a stronger footing. It is with this conviction that we bring out this special literary supplement to give a spur to our young authorship.

Works of seasoned authors reflect maturity, depth and consistency while those of the younger ones are marked at times by an excessive display of imagination. Even so, the younger authors have sparks of solid promise. Their originality and fascinating experimentation with form and language only reinforce our belief in them.

We hope this supplement will add to our readers' happiness and joy that the occasion of Eid entails. Eid Mubarak.