‘Our Many Longings: Contemporary Short Fiction from Bangladesh’ offers a window into the excellence of contemporary short fiction from Bangladesh as we mark the golden jubilee of independence. Collected here are stories originally written in English as well as translations from Bengali, by writers based in Bangladesh and those belonging to the diaspora. From the tea gardens of Sylhet and the cyclone-stricken port city of Chittagong to a restaurant kitchen in Dubai and the gritty streets of New York, the stories range across the country and spill beyond its borders to other countries and continents, wherever Bangladeshis have found themselves. They register the trauma of the liberation war and the ongoing search for agency and self-definition. Common themes emerge: haunting preoccupations with nation, identity, desire, loss, limits, borders, and an abiding sense of nostalgia. These are stories about the perennial human condition of yearning and striving—stories of our many longings.

“An anthology of diverse and often courageous writing where conventions are challenged and social taboos scrutinized. Threading through the stories, there is a consistent depiction of our individual yearnings and desires which are in perpetual conflict with established values. It is this struggle which creates tension in many of the stories. The tales deal with the lives of ordinary Bangladeshis and yet there is a universality about their struggles which will resonate with most readers, regardless of their cultural background. The stories traverse a gamut of emotions and leave us pondering the contradiction that our flaws may be our greatest source of strength.”
—Adib Khan, author of Seasonal Adjustments and Solitude of Illusions

“This delightful and thought-provoking collection of short fiction from Bangladesh carries a cross-section of disparate yet converging narratives. The stories provide compelling glimpses into rich and diverse literary streams,