Author: Qurratulain Hyder
Foreword/Introduction: Aamer Hussein
Publisher: Kali/Women Unlimited
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 378
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8188965529
Description
The plaintive song of the boatman on the Padma, a green haze of rice fields turning to gold in the light of the setting sun, the romance of Bengal caught and held in the silvery net of a fisherman's haul. . .
Ambitious, subtle and intricately structured, Fireflies in the Mist spans nearly four decades of East Bengal's history, from the dawn of nationalism to the restless aftermath of the bloody struggle for an independent Bangladesh.
At the centre of this many-centred novel is Deepali Sarkar, a young Hindu attracted to the extreme left wing of the nationalist movement, and Rehan Ahmed, a Muslim radical of Marxist inclinations who introduces her to the life of the rural deprived. Their common political engagement draws them into a quietly doomed love affair. Through their relationship, Hyder explores the growth of tension between Bengal's Hindus and Muslims who had once shared a culture and a history.
"History", says Hyder "is another name for humanity's inability to learn its lesson". Lit by the flare of Hyder's prose, history is captured in the glow of the firefly's wing, unfolding in the lives of her characters as they try to come to terms with their own and Bengal's shifting fortunes.
Contents
That Little Bird: Remembering Qurratulain Hyder
Aamer Hussin
PART 1
1. Caledonia
2. The Golden Album
3. Lotus River
4. Song of the Padma Boatman
5. Typhoon Uma
6. Woodland
7. The Rev. Paul Mathew Bannerjee
8. A Sari for Virgin Mary
9. The New Testament
10. Cloudland
11. The Ayah
12. Lily Cottage
13. Wandering Minstrel
14. Miss Rosie Bannerjee and Solidarity
15. The Cloud Messenger
16. The Sunderbans
PART II
17. Arjumand Manzil
18. The Nightmare
19. Monsoon Melody
20. Song of the Seasons
21. Quit India and People’s War
22. The Rebel
23. Ganga and Brahmaputra
24. Charles Barlow, Bengal Civilian
25. Comrade Rehan Ahmed
26. The Muezzin’s Call
27. Jehan Ara Begum
28. Cow-dust Hour
29. Shrimati Radhika Sanyal
30. Luna’s Grove
31. The Bridal Palanquin
32. Kamal and Akmal
PART III
33. Birds of Paradise
34. Esther Giribala Bannerjee
35. Yasmin Belmont, Dark Dancer
36. Pilot Officer Akmal Murshidzada
37. The Pacifist
38. Good Luck Diary
39. Scheherezade Christina Belmont
40. Swami Atmananda Shanker Premi
41. The Playhouse
42. Victorious Morning Star
43. Richard Barlow
44. The Weavers
45. The Kite-flier
46. Old Ganga