Caged in Paradise and Other Stories

The stories in this anthology have been selected from four decades of Rizia Rahman’s literary career, from the seventies to the present. The stories have been arranged fairly chronologically to suggest the development of the writer over the years. The stories cover a wide range of themes- from the rural to the urban, from historical events to contemporary situations, from feminist to humanist issues, from familiar to social concerns, from demographic to ecological changes. The stories focus on the disparities and conflicts in both private and public arenas, on the socio-economic injustices that destroy human values and intrinsic rights, and on the personal weaknesses that distort human relationships. Most of the stories are rooted in Bangladesh; some stories however bear references to international personalities and events that reveal a global consciousness. The stories not only introduce readers to a major Bangladeshi writer, but also make rewarding reading for anyone interested in serious literature. Contents: 1. The Lure of the Sea 2. Come Back to Earth 3. What Price Honour? 4. For My Darling5. The Hilsa Net 6. The Past is a Faded Rose 7. Blue Hawaii 8. Benu's Old Sari 9. Fugitive Moonlight 10. A Hartal Story 11. The Return of the Fisherman 12. Mother Fatema Weeps 13. Man that is Made of Earth 14. Irina's Picture 15. Caged in Paradise 16. Train Through the Dark Night 17. The Realist 18. On a Star-Spangled Night 19. A Poet, a Crow, and the War-Horse of Chengiz KhanTranslators