This unique volume presents all 20 of Kazi Nazrul Islam’s short stories for the first time in English translation. Featuring rich imagery, evocative landscapes, references to music, classical poetry, folktales and more, these stories invite the reader to re-evaluate the ‘rebel poet’ as an empathetic humanitarian. The volume is a transnational, collaborative labour of love bringing together stellar editors and translators from Bangladesh and India. The stories are accompanied by a timeline of Nazrul’s life and a critical introduction that not only provides foundational contexts for the stories, but also highlights Nazrul’s attempt to counter majoritarianism and various hegemonies by dismantling hierarchies and celebrating intimate pluralities.
Syed Manzoorul Islam is Professor Emeritus in the English Department of the University of Dhaka.
Kaustav Chakraborty is Associate Professor of English at Southfield College, Darjeeling.
Acknowledgements Publisher’s Acknowledgements Nazrul: A Timeline A Critical Introduction to Nazrul’s Short Stories Syed Manzoorul Islam and Kaustav Chakraborty
HARVEST OF SORROW 1. Harvest of Sorrow 2. Hena 3. In the Relentless Rain 4. Half Asleep 5. Insatiate Desire 6. Letter from a Political Prisoner
The AGONY OF THE DESTITUTE 7. The Agony of the Destitute 8. Autobiography of the Vagabond 9. Meher Negar 10. Evening Star 11. Rakshasi 12. Salek 13. The Widow 14. The Restless Traveller
THE SHIULI MALA 15. The Lotus-Cobra 16. The King of the Djinns 17. The Volcano 18. The Shiuli Mala
UNANTHOLOGISED STORIES 19. Letter from a Lost Boy 20. The Hawk-Cuckoo from the Woods
Editors and Translators