Bangladeshi writers' stake in English literature

As Anthony Burgess said, "English literature is not merely the literature of the British Isles, but a vast and growing body of writings made up of the works of authors who use the English Language as a natural medium of communication".

English is now a universal language and the ideal vehicle for global literature. Now English has been used as a medium of creative writing in the previously colonised countries such as those in Africa, South Asia etc. There are many influential English language writers who are Indian, Pakistani, or Sri Lankan. But now we have Bangladeshi scholars or writers too who are writing in English, maybe in the form of translation or creative writings like - poetry, drama, fiction and non-fiction. It cannot be denied that a large number of writers are writing in English in Bangladesh for newspapers, magazines and journals but these cannot be considered as English literally works in Bangladesh. But the sad part is English writings do not enjoy that much appeal in Bangladesh and only a small section of the population can speak proper English or can understand English very easily.

In Bangladesh very few writers contributed properly but still it is a matter of relief and pride that it exists. I am giving the names of some renowned writers of our country who are contributing in one way or other in this field.

Talking about the Bengali writers writing in English, one cannot forget Rabindranath Tagore and Begum Rokeya for their contribution. Tagore's own English translation of his celebrated work 'Gitanjali' glorified him with Nobel Prize in literature in 1913. Begum Rokeya is famous for her feminist science fiction 'Sultana's Dream' written in English which depicts a witty feminist utopia. Some prominent modern Bangladeshi writers writing in English include Tahmina Anam, Kaiser Haq, K. Anis Ahmed, Razia Khan, Ahsan Akbar, Neamat Imam, Monica Ali, Zia Haider Rahman etc.

But with no doubt we realise that Bangladesh needs many more skilled and creative English writers who can uphold our culture, tradition, lifestyle, and history on the world stage. The number of skilled Bangladeshi writers is scarce compared to their counterparts in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

While talking about Bangladeshi writers we can talk about some women in the field. Razia Khan Amin is one of the most prominent writers of modern Bangladeshi literature. She has come up with a couple of collections of poems in English. Her books of poetry in English are Cruel April and Argus under Anaesthesia.

Another distinguished poet and literature translator is Farida Majid. Her Take Me Home, Rickshaw (1974) is a collection of poems by contemporary Bangladeshi poets translated into English. She has edited an anthology of English poems titled Thursday Evening Anthology (1977). She is also known for her poem 'A Razakar Haunted'.

Rumana Siddique is another poet of our country who wrote 'Five Faces of Eve' (2007). It was her first volume of poetry. She has settled in Dhaka and teaches at the Department of English, University of Dhaka.

Next is another writer, Monica Ali, who is a Bangladeshi - born British writer and novelist. Her debut novel Brick Lane shot to fame and she was selected as one of the best of young British novelists by Granta Magazine. The novel Brick Lane is about a Bangladeshi family living in the UK and about the British immigrant experience.

Another Bangladeshi novelist, Shazia Omar, depicted the dismal picture of drug addiction in Bangladesh in her book 'Like a Diamond in the Sky'. The story explores the feeling of alienation in the students of a university in Dhaka city who unfortunately got themselves mired in the curse of drugs. There is also a struggle between Din and Duniya, the spiritual and material worlds. Apart from writings, Shazia Omar is also a social psychologist and works with a development agency and teaches Pilates.

And the last star I will be talking about among the women writers writing in English is Tahmina Anam. Her debut novel 'A Golden Age' fetched her the Commonwealth Writer's Prize as the best First book. Tahmina Anam's historical novels about Bangladesh are works based on intensive research and inspired ventriloquism. She was also acclaimed for her another novel 'The Good Muslim' set in the aftermath of the independence of 1971. We will find in this book an appalling account of two siblings negotiating life in a new nation haunted by their past.

This article is all about the Bangladeshi writers writing in English especially focusing on the women writers only. Surely there are influential and scholarly male writers who have treaded this path quite successfully. That discussion will follow this piece at a later date.

The writer is a Lecturer at the Dept of English Studies, State University of Bangladesh.

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