A special collectible edition from one of the most eminent voices of our generation
A savage indictment of religious extremism and man's inhumanity to man, Lajja was banned in Bangladesh but became a bestseller in the rest of the world. This brand-new translation marks the twentieth anniversary of this controversial novel. The Dattas Sudhamoy and Kironmoyee and their children, Suronjon and Maya have lived in Bangladesh all their lives. Despite being members of a small Hindu community that is terrorized at every opportunity by Muslim fundamentalists, they refuse to leave their country, unlike most of their friends and relatives. Sudhamoy believes with a naive mix of optimism and idealism that his motherland will not let him down. And then, on 6 December 1992, the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya is demolished by a mob of Hindu fundamentalists. The world condemns the incident, but its immediate fallout is felt most acutely in Bangladesh, where Muslim mobs begin to seek out and attack the Hindus. The nightmare inevitably arrives at the Dattas' doorstep and their world begins to fall apart.
Taslima Nasrin was born in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. After graduating from Mymensingh Medical College, she worked as a government doctor until 1993, when she was ordered to choose between her medical career and her writing. She chose writing.
Nasrin is one of the most uncompromising feminist voices in the Indian subcontinent. Her work, which champions women’s rights and freedom of expression, has earned her immense acclaim—and intense controversy. In 1994, following threats from religious fundamentalists and multiple fatwas calling for her execution, she was exiled from Bangladesh. Years later, after living in Europe, she settled in West Bengal, India, only to be expelled once again.
Many of her books have been banned in Bangladesh, including Lajja (a fact-based novel in defense of humanity), Amar Meyebela (a memoir of her childhood), Utal Hawa (about her adolescence), and the later volumes of her autobiography, Ka (Split: A Life) and Sei Sob Andhokar. Though Ka was also banned in West Bengal, the Calcutta High Court later overturned the ban.
Nasrin’s fearless advocacy for human rights and secularism has earned her global recognition. She has received numerous honors, including the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought (European Parliament), the UNESCO Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence, the Simone de Beauvoir Prize, and the Human Rights Prize from the French government. She has also received honorary doctorates from Ghent University, the University of Leuven, the American University of Paris, and Paris Diderot University.
The author of more than fifty books spanning poetry, fiction, essays, and memoirs, Nasrin’s works have been translated into twenty-five languages. A tireless advocate for humanism, gender equality, and free thought, she has spoken at leading institutions worldwide, including Harvard, Yale, Oxford, and the Sorbonne.
Anchita Ghatak works with development organizations on issues of poverty, rights, and gender. She is also a translator of Bengali literature into English. Her acclaimed translation of Sunanda Sikdar’s prizewinning Bengali memoir Dayamoyeer Katha was published as A Life Long Ago.
