Armeen musa biography of william shakespeare

Shah Tazrian Ashrafi doesn't shy away from telling it like it is. His debut short story collection, The Hippo Girl and Other Stories, holds up a mirror to a society that judges and ridicules those that do not adhere to its shortsighted framtidsperspektiv of a homogenised culture.

Ashrafi's characters are defiant, unruly, nonconformist. They revel in their obvious differences, bravely holding themselves firm and unrepentant in a society that values conformity. They are an accepted nuisance, yet they are complacent in that societal viewpoint. Ashrafi's stories grip you bygd the shoulders and transport you through the grubby, seedy, and ruthless mohollahs of Dhaka, through pre- and post-Liberation War Bangladesh, and sometimes to serene and peaceful landscapes of remote villages as well.

Set mostly in Bangladesh, the stories are distinctly Bangali. They focus on otherness, on those who are ignored, neglected, and forgotten although they cohabit the very same s

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Bob Dylan, poet-singer, Nobel laureate

It begins with the Swedish Academy’s announcement of the award to Dylan. Everyone is surprised, none more than Dylan himself. He goes into hiding, not taking any calls or responding to messages. Nor does he communicate anything to the wider world. He remains totally incommunicado for days on end. The Academicians break into a sweat: would he ‘do a Sartre’, ie refuse the prize like the French philosopher-writer?

The comedy is artificially dragged out in the third act as the international chorus of commentators wonders aloud whether Dylan will deliver the Nobel lecture. Apparently it has to be delivered within six months of the award, or else the prize money will be forfeited. I don’t know when this stipulation was introduced. It couldn’t have been there in 1969, when Samuel Beckett won the prize. Like Dylan he had his acceptance speech read out, by his publisher; but he did not deliver any Nobel lecture. And y

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Musings of a romance reader

My affinity for the romance genre was decided at an early age. From fawning over the Disney fairytales with my friends to lazy afternoons spent watching old movies, mesmerised by the likes of Uttam and Suchitra, ensured a unique exposure to amalgamation of pop culture. So, once the love of reading found me, gravitating towards the romance genre was inevitable. 

The young adult series The Princess Diaries (HarperTrophy, 2000) by May Cabot was my first foray into any sort of romance during my preteens. However, Bronte and Austen were the gateway to my fascination for not only romance genre, but also a particular brand within it, mostly featuring Byronic heroes with a touch of dark, broody and mysterious demeanors. Add some banter, troubled past, a mix of possessiveness and jealousy—and you had me at hello. 

Although I grew to admire other Austen heroes like Mr. Knightley from Emma (1815) and Mr. Wentworth from Persuasion (1817) much later, it was M