‘Contours of Him’ brings remarkable depth to our understanding of men and their bodies, helping to redefine masculinity in ways that are more compassionate, complex, and authentic. By inviting readers into intimate relationships with the physical male form as experienced across diverse cultures, this anthology advances our collective conversation about gender and embodiment
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Half of a Yellow Sun” stands as one of the most compelling and devastating literary works to emerge from postcolonial African literature, offering readers an unflinching examination of the Nigerian Civil War through the interconnected lives of characters whose personal struggles mirror the broader tragedy of a nation tearing itself apart.
When you are fighting for livelihood and life, the language and idioms acceptable are those used by power structures and governments.
There is such a clichéd romance in the idea of being an artist’s model. All these women who made it to eternity by posing for the greats. In reality, there was nothing romantic about it. It was tedious and demanding. The body begins to ache from the effort to keep still. The face stiffens from the attempt to preserve the same expression.
Perhaps most significantly, physical books offer a rare commodity in contemporary life: genuine escape from digital surveillance and commercial imperatives. Unlike e-readers that track reading habits, collect data, and interrupt with advertisements or notifications, paper books provide an untraceable, unmonitored intellectual refuge.
I sat in the graveyard, merging effortlessly in the background. When you have crossed your seventies, and you have mastered the art of sitting quietly without taking much interest in your surroundings, letting the hours slip away, it is easier to overlook you. In my case, I was worried the occasional visitor to the graveyard might think I was one of the inhabitants, taking a stroll to free their legs, cramped from lying in the grave for too long!
Pulau Pulau was a matchmaking initiative created for writers by writers to find a writing partner. The aim of the project was finding a writing partner to co-write something together that goes beyond what either could create on their own. It was organised by the archipelago collective, a transnational community of writers and artists. From across the world approx. 80+ writers have participated from 30+ different countries whose are generally writes in 50+ different languages.
Addonia’s emphasis on the body as the primary site of both oppression and liberation distinguishes his approach. Unlike the cool intellectual distance that characterizes much postcolonial critique, Addonia insists on the primacy of physical experience.
The future belongs to those who can integrate the digital fluency of Generation Z with the deep reading capacities of previous generations. In that integration lies our best hope for citizens capable of both technological innovation and ethical wisdom—the combination our unstable world most desperately needs.
Dominique Lapierre’s City of Joy transforms statistical poverty into visceral human experience through meticulous research and compelling storytelling. Yet this powerful narrative of Calcutta’s slums raises uncomfortable questions about Western perspectives on Eastern suffering, embodying both the possibilities and profound limitations of cross-cultural understanding in contemporary literature.
” In an era when gadgets and media are conspiring to shorten the attention spans of readers, turning human beings into cyborgs, or even worse- living, breathing AI models, I see the act of sitting in your favorite spot with your favorite beverage and sinking into your book as an act of silent rebellion. “
Shirani Rajapakse’s Offerings to the Blue God takes its reader along the least taken paths in the Isla’s life. The stories are characterised by a dynamic writing and presentation style, a unique voice that Rajapakshe’s stories often carry, and an unparalleled level of integrity that shines through in each story.
‘Brussels, Naked’ is an experimental novel in the form of twelve interconnected novellas, each named after municipalities or neighbourhoods in Brussels, and each with a different narrator. It covers a period of fifteen years and is built around three main arcs: the life of Iris, Brussels itself as a protagonist and the EU crises, captured in the stories of ordinary people.
I was forty years old then. I had requested a transfer from Delhi to Chennai. Delhi, being the capital, it was easy to ask to be transferred to another city from there. Initially, I didn’t want to relocate to Chennai, but due to some unavoidable circumstances, I had to make the move.
Subhobroto Mazumder’s The Affairs of Baxiganj weaves a captivating tapestry of suspense, crime intrigue, and simmering dread…delivering a ‘classic murder mystery cum thriller’ that lingers long after the final page.
India’s Indigenous Immigrants by Subir – a Sensitive Resource on Assam’s Darker Epoch of History.
Rohan Monteiro’s Shadows Rising brings to life an unlikely hero-irreverent, witty and foul-mouthed-who seems to not have a care in the world. Until someone crosses a line. it is an exciting, fresh and unique take on timeless Indian myths told from the POV of a protagonist who might just be a lot more involved in the epics than he cares to admit.
Charles Baxter’s latest novel, “Blood Test,” is a captivating blend of speculative comedy and profound social commentary. The story revolves around Brock Hobson, a divorced Midwestern dad who works as an insurance salesman and Sunday-school teacher. His life is marked by predictability until he undergoes a predictive blood test that claims to foretell his actions.
But nowadays we are more aware of racism and other forms of bigotry, which fed all kinds of oppression and subjugation of peoples in the past.
This is a very great liberation for the suffering, struggling person, who always thinks that he is alone. This is why art is important.
The Asian Review 