Zubier Abdullah is a freelance contributor and short story writer. He is an engineer by training, has graduated from North South University and is currently pursuing his master's in Canada.
Broadly speaking, works of fiction can be classified into two classes – books that do not demand much of the reader and books that do. Most are familiar with the former – the likes of Dan Brown, John Grisham and Sidney Sheldon who do not want to discomfort the reader. On the opposite pole, you have your Joyce, Nabokov and Foster Wallace, to name just a few.
In between, you have Ikhtishad Ahmed and his debut short story collection, Yours, Etcetera. He has previously published two collections of poetry and a play, The Deliverance of Sanctuary.
While reading these stories, you will feel they are written by a man who does not pull his punches. The subjects he deals with are the ones most writers shy away from. In these stories Ahmed uses brevity of words to convey deep meaning and significance. A small detail, a throwaway line on one page may have greater significance much later on in the story -- a minute gesture may offer some real insight into the psychology of a character or the sequence of events.
The stories, while grounded in reality, also verge on the realm of the absurd. Each story possesses a strong theme and underlying social commentary. In “Guilty by Association”, Ahmed examines the unexamined. In “Penetralia”, he throws light on the growing racism and tribalism that seems to be sweeping across the world. Their settings, from rural Bangladesh to Central London, from a boarding school in the Indian highlands and beyond, are created on a larger than life canvas. The tag of absurdist fiction might confuse you at the beginning, but as you start reading you find the characters and plot engaging enough to carry on.
If you are looking for cheap thrills, you shouldn’t pick up this book. But this is certainly your book if you are up for a little more than just pleasure, if you want to see more of what can be done with words in the written form. Ahmed is a bright example for aspiring authors from Bangladesh and Yours, Etcetera should be added to anyone’s reading list.
