Conflicts reflected in a writer's work come from many sources, but most importantly from the within, prominent Bangladeshi writers said at a panel at DLF.
Ekushey Padak winning novelist, famed for his depiction of the marginalized communities, said that the marginalized appear as his subject in whatever he writes.
"The ruling class has always suppressed those that demand their rights," the author said.
Novelist Shaheen Akhtar, who received the Gemcon Shahitya Puroshkar 2019 for her novel Oshukhi Din on Friday, said that it is not the job of the writer to treat an ailing society, they can only show the illness.
"My writing is a combination of the questions I have within me and the attempt to look for the answers," said the award winning author.
Shomaj O Shotta with Shaheen Akhtar, Anisul Hoque, Harishankar Jaladas and Mashrur Arefin and Kabir Humayun
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Photo credit: Mahmud Hossain Opu / Dhaka Tribune #DhakaLitFest2019 #DLF2019 pic.twitter.com/KZ0oBkz17i
Akhtar also criticised the puritan mentality behind finding the thousands year old Bengali culture, which has trouble embracing the Mughal history as its own.
Poet, novelist and translator Mashrur Arefin said that the primary conflict for a writer comes from within him/herself. "A writer is able to produce good writing when he/she deals with this conflict," he said.
The author cited numerous giant figures of world literature to illustrate his points. "Imposing your own moral standards or having an agenda constricts a writer's scope, that is what Tolstoy taught us," said the author and translator.
Acclaimed writer, poet, screenwriter, and novelist Anisul Hoque said he can't live without expressing himself through writing.
"When I finish writing something I get excited like a child who just got a new toy," the celebrated author said.
