‘Silent Noise’, the first collection of
Jackie Kabir’s short stories was launched on 29 January at EMK Centre in
Dhaka’s Dhanmandi.
‘Silent Noise’ is a collection of 15
short stories written by the author over a span of 10 years. The stories have
reflected a varied range themes. Four Muslims taking shelter in a Hindu temple;
a man fantasizing about a moon-girl; a Hindu man and a Muslim woman having a
one-night affair at a conference; a middle-aged woman reminiscing about her
ex-husband; a toothbrush witnessing a murder of a woman by her husband; and a
lesbian roommate persuading a young woman to see things from her perspective
are a few subjects in Jackie’s debut collection.
The anthology was published by Pathhak
Shamabesh.
Talking about her psyche behind
writing, the author said that she wanted to give the voiceless the voice. “You
may remember a few years ago, police in old part Dhaka had found chopped pieces
of a woman’s body that was flushed out from a bathroom; now, someone must have
killed that woman brutally; I tried to provide a voice to the deceased woman in
one my stories. I also tried to portray the intricacies of human relationship.”
The launching ceremony was graced by
four prominent literary critics of the country. Professor Fakhrul Alam of
University of Dhaka, Professor Rajia Sultana Khan of Independent University,
Professor Shamsad Mortuza of University of Dhaka and Nusrat Huq, a senior
teacher of Sunbeams School analysed various aspects of the stories. The author
also read out some excerpts from her stories. The launching ceremony was
conducted by Mashrufa Ayasha Nusrat.
A wide range of book-lovers were
present at the launching ceremony.
Jackie Kabir, an English language
teacher, is also a translator. She has contributed in various anthologies and
collections in Bangladesh and India. Although her stories have been published
in different anthologies both at home and abroad, Silent Noise is her first
attempt to publish her stories in a single book.
Currently, she is working on her first
novel.