Joy Bangla! A Story From 1971
- April 3rd, 2007
- Posted by 7thmin
The story of crisis and development in emergent countries is incomplete without its “human” face; a new book set in Bangladesh helps in a major way to make up a deficit.
A first novel by Tahmima Anam, A Golden Age gives the story of a family caught up in the independence struggle of Bangladesh during 1971.
Against a background of civil strife it opens a window on a way of life: cultivation of tropical fruits and flowers in the gardens, good cooking, care with clothes, religious observance, a frenetic yet somehow also a slow-paced life, the amiable manners of family and friends, even some references to cricket.
The writer’s parents were young students in Dhaka at the time of the Bangladesh crisis, later prominent citizens of their new country, who brought her up in overseas postings, but obviously with a careful attachment to home.
She says that she drew on family history to produce this strong narrative with engaging and credible characters, and a mature balance between the personal story and troubled social scenario.
Tahmima Anam is promising two more novels in a trilogy; A Golden Age will be the second instalment in time.
Reference: Tahmima Anam (2007), A Golden Age, a novel; London, John Murray, ISBN 978 0 7195 6009 5