Mrityukshudha (Translate Niaz Zaman)

Kazi Nazrul Islam wrote three novels: Bandhon Hara (1927), Mrityukshudha (1930) and Kuhelika (1931). However, unlike Rabindranath Tagore, whose novels have been translated and discussed - and some of them also made into acclaimed movies – Kazi Nazrul Islam's novels have generally been brushed aside by scholars. While it is true that his novels pale in comparison to his poems and songs, they not only complement his poetic writings but also provide a significant perspective on some of his perennial themes as well on his contemporary world. In 1994, Professor Kabir Chowdhury translated Kuhelika and in 2012, a reading group, The Reading Circle, translated Bandhon Hara. Mrityukshudha has not, however, been translated till now. This is surprising because the novel is perhaps his most detailed account of poverty in his prose writings as well as of a political activist. The novel also focuses on a number of other significant themes: the plight of a rebel who is a loner, the relationship between different religions, the situation of women in a conservative society, the importance of education, and the question of identity.