I was talking about flooding with my friend M when he mentioned that the Jamuna had gotten a lot bigger after the big earthquake of 1871(?). "Huh?" I said, puzzled. "Yes, a novel I am reading is partly set around the Jamuna and it mentions this. It's called
ChilekoThar Shepai."
"Oh yeah, I read that book!" I recognized it instantly. "But wait a second, isn't it set in old Dhaka during the Shongram?"
"It is set in both old Dhaka and the Chars."
Whoops. I had read it twelve years ago. It was a hard read. I remember that it portrayed the life of the Dhaka subaltern very well. But I had completely forgotten about the char part of the book.
So, while I keep racking up the "Books I Have Read" list, the "Books My Memory Has Undone" also keeps growing, ready to embarrass me at the right moment :-)
BTW, looking through
ChilekoThar Shepai, I find it a lot easier to follow the dialog now than I did 12 years ago living in the US.
Related Posts
Thank You Naguib MahfouzDear Mr. Mahfouz,I am saddened to hear that you have left us.In each of us our Maker gives some spe- StorytellerHere is a Bangladeshi writer who is active in the international fiction scene. Farah Ghuznavi's sho
- Hay FestivalThe Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts is coming to Dhaka on 21 November. It is a one day prog
- Books Here, Books ThereAfter many attempts I finally started reorganizing my disorganized books today. While doing so I re
- Extra! Extra! Goodbye Bangladesh!Words on the street:---------Hawker selling newspapers: "[In English] Goodbye Bangladesh. Goodbye B
- Book TalkMy brother brought me Francine Prose's "Reading Like a Writer" which I am reading like a reader, he