Is any speculative fiction written in Bangla better or worse than similar English works? Who knows? If a body of work is not available for criticism by the rest of the world, or even for simple enjoyment by readers for that matter, then it is difficult to gauge where it stands against global standards. This means much of Bangla writing is stuck in the vault known as Bangladesh, and will remain there. SZH: The problem with writing SFF in Bangla is that translations are not readily available, nor is there any push to translate our best works.
Has a more sophisticated form of literary SF emerged in recent times? TKS : To follow this up, SF writing in Bengali and other subcontinental languages tended to be regarded as a branch of children’s literature, as a way of promoting science education. As a reader, I enjoy SFF based on other cultures, from non-‘western’ perspectives, and the incredible literary richness this is adding to a genre which was becoming somewhat stale. As a writer, of course, we wish to join the global conversation, which, like it or not, is being conducted largely in English, and the fact that renowned publishers are printing us is a great opportunity which was not present not so long ago. Worldwide, however, there is a great interest towards promoting SFF from non European cultures, and this is very encouraging, both as a writer and a reader of SFF. Right now I think I might be the only writer of SFF in English in Bangladesh, at least in a published sense.
There is a lot of opportunity here, to blend together our unique culture and setting with SFF, or murder mysteries, or thrillers. I don’t think modern SFF writing really exists in English in Bangladesh. Hosain: I will speak about writing in English, because that is what I’m most familiar with, and also, in the case of Bangladesh, we are a small community of writers and I believe I have at least some idea of what everyone is working on. Let us know your views on the current trends in SF/fantasy/speculative fiction in your country. Scientists and writers Humayun Ahmad and Muhammad Zafar Iqbal have done notable work in Bengali SF in the years following 1971. As we are aware, SF/speculative fiction from the region that became Bangladesh has a long history, dating back to at least 1905, the year Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain’s ‘Sultana’s Dream’ appeared.
Saint: Welcome to this session of South Asian SF Dialogues. Hossain from Dhaka, Bangladesh, whose work spans SF/speculative fiction, fantasy, laced with an irreverent sense of black humour
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