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Fiction writer and essayist Faizul Islam has said that writers consciously or unconsciously explore politics in their works.

‘When a writer writes, she or he, consciously or unconsciously, explores politics. Even stories of love are not beyond politics. Some of the writers may prefer aiming at the portrayal of social issues that may spark social consciousness of the readers,’ said Faizul Islam.

However, some of the writers may not choose to bear such responsibility of making readers aware, the writer mentioned, adding, ‘For that matter, we should not blame writers.’

He also thinks that whether a reader will receive the message passed on depends on the receptivity of an individual. ‘Thus, despite the effort of a writer, the recipient may fail to behave like a socially responsible person. All that matters on the overall level of education of the readers is a complex issue to achieve,’ he said. 

In this regard, he comes to the bottom line, saying, ‘A writer may fail to make society aware, and that is not her or his own fault.’

Recently, the publishing house ‘Chaitanya Prakashan’ has published the writer’s two volumes of collections of stories under the headers Galpasangraha 1 and Galpasangraha 2.

Galpasangraha 1 contains 11 stories while Galpasangraha 2 contains eight stories, which were written from 1990 to 2018.

He mentioned that the size of his stories varied, and sometimes, a story became a novella.

‘Sometimes, a story becomes similar in size to archaic short stories. I actually let the story grow,’ said Faizul Islam, adding, ‘And for that matter; sometimes, I care about storytelling, sometimes I do not speak a lot about the things.’

My temperament is tied to the dynamics of growth of a story itself,’ he said, adding, ‘This size depends on the demand of the journey of a story.’

Faizul Islam has focused mainly on stories related to social issues, including the struggles of people, their dreams, their brevity and their limitations, among others. He said, ‘Thus, I have come up with variety in the themes of stories. However, I am very picky in selecting themes.’

So far, he has published seven collections of stories under the headers Nakshatrer Ghora, Khowaj Khijirer Sinduk, Ayna, Nilkhete Keno Jai, Bakhtiar Khaner Cycle, Jamin and Ghumntrishna, and a novel titled Boy’s School Band.

His second collection of stories, Khowaj Khijirer Sinduk, was awarded as the best work in the fiction category by Prothom Alo. Also, he writes occasional articles on literature and culture.

He also spoke about his upcoming ventures.

‘Right now, I am finishing a book on the development of literal language that comprises from Charyapad to the prose of Rabindranath Tagore. This book will cover the linguistic development of both Bangla poems and prose through centuries. It may be published next year,’ concluded Faizul Islam.