Bangladesh can boast a number of exceptional women writers, and Galpa: Short Stories by Women from Bangladesh (2012, ISBN 984-32-2931-2), edited by Firdous Azim and Niaz Zaman, contains short stories written by 27 of them. As with any collection of this size (273 pages), the work can sometimes be spotty, but the editors noted the importance of populating the book with a representative sample, and thus, meets one of its goals.

The always intriguing Selina Hossein makes her appearance her with Motijan’s Daughters, a wonderful story of a young wife who succeeds in overcoming her nasty mother-in-law’s machinations. The final scene, involving a public embarrassment, is a poignant example of kharmic retribution. Dilara Hashem’s The Immersion delves into the mind of a developmentally disabled man, in which most of the action is seen from the perspective of the man himself. In addition to being a compelling and off-beat story about a troubled child, Parag Chowdhury’s Why Does Durgati Weep? features an exceptional translation by Shabnam Nadiya, who has a notable talent for using American idioms.

All in all, we here at WoWasis would have liked the collection to be stronger in terms of plot and character development. Several of the stories involve dreams, a vehicle used successfully by Rokeya Hossein in her landmark story Sultana’s Dream, but not as compelling when delivered by the other authors in this anthology. The book is recommended for those wishing to gain a perspective on contemporary fiction by female Bangladeshi writers. Buy it here at the WoWasis eStore.  

Stories in this anthology include:

Shaheen Akhtar, The Make–up Box

Sonia Nishat Amin, Under the Lemon Tree

Purabi Basu. Radha Will Not Cook Today

Parag Chowdhury. Why Does Durgati Weep?
Audity Falguni, Wildflower

Shamim Hamid, The Party

Dilara Hashem. The Immersion

Rokeya Sakhawat Hossein, Sultana’s Dream
Selina Hossain. Motijan’s Daughters
Naheed Husain, The Deal

NasreenJahan, Different

Helena Khan Projection

M. Faterna Khanarn, Chamely

Rabeya Kharun, Obsession

Razia Mahbub, Troubles

Nuzhat Amin Mannan, The Wardrobe

Makbula Manzoor, On the Road

Dilara Mesbah. The Ballad ofNihar Banu

Shabnam Nadiya, AJourney into Night

Jharna Das Purakayastha, Barbecue

Jharna Rahman, Arshinagar

Papree Rahman, The Rainbow Bird of Slumber and Dreams

Rizia Rahman. What Price Honour?

Nayan Rahman. Bon Voyage

Syeda Farida Rahman. Roots

Khaleda Salahuddin, Relief Camp

Niaz Zaman. The Daily Woman