STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Bangla literature is undergoing multiple changes amid shifts in reading habits, digital platforms, language, and the wider social context, speakers said yesterday.

They made the remarks at the 16th episode of The Daily Star’s Itihas Adda, titled “Kon Dike Bangla Sahitya”, held at The Daily Star Centre in the capital.

Poet and Prothom Alo Executive Editor Sajjad Sharif said the key question is not only where literature is headed, but also what readers expect from it.

“Literature is that place where language speaks,” he said, adding that literature cannot be confined to fixed prescriptions, as writers of the same period do not write in the same way.

Referring to the changes brought by satellite television, the internet, social media and mobile phones, he said the broader cultural environment of literature had changed significantly over time.

He also cautioned against judging literature only by popularity or sales, saying important works may initially reach only a small number of readers.

Sajjad also highlighted changes in language, the growing presence of women writers, and a rise in autobiographical writing in Bangla over the past three decades.

“Over the last 30 years, so many autobiographies have been written in Bangla,” he said, adding that many people felt their lives were tied to history.

National Book Centre Director Shakhawat Tipu said the future of Bangla literature cannot be separated from the future of the Bangla language. “When we speak of Bangla literature, we are essentially speaking of the Bangla language,” he said.

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