Shahaduz Zaman stands out prominently as a significant figure in the contemporary Bangla literary landscape, utilising intertextuality throughout his works, and
infusing various texts and genres into his narratives. Although he works with various genres, including translations, essays, novels, and docu-fictions, his main arena in literature is short stories. In his stories, the walls of the story often break down and elements of poetry, essays, and even criticism enter. And this is where different dimensions are added. One of Zaman's most intertextually rich works is "Prithibite Hoyto Brihaspatibar", the fifth short story from his last storybook Mamlar Shakkhi Moyna Pakhi (Prothoma, 2019).
The story is a bit about romance and a lot about corporate politics and deception. Masood, the protagonist, shares a marketing idea with his boss, Kaiser Haque, on a rain-soaked Thursday. However, the plot takes a turn when Masood stumbles upon Haque presenting the very idea as his own in an official meeting. This unexpected turn of events leaves Masood in a state of disbelief, questioning the authenticity of his boss's humanity. In a poignant analogy, Masood likens Kaiser's unfair human identity to a lemur mistakenly trapped in the identity of a shy monkey. The story concludes by shedding light on the complex contradictions inherent in human identity.
In the opening scene, as clouds gather, Masood's mobile rings. On the line, his girlfriend Ruma says, "Go stand under a shed somewhere." At that moment, a Frank Sinatra song crosses Masood's mind: "Fly me to the moon… In other words, I love you." Contemplating Ruma's words, Masood interprets, "Go stand under a shed… In other words, I love you." The author imbues the dialogue with an underlying meaning, referencing Sinatra's song. This simultaneously introduces the cultural sphere of the protagonist (and the author) and exemplifies the indirect manner in which people in this region typically express their emotions. Here, the author purposefully "shapes the meaning" of his character's dialogue by intertwining it with another text—the jazz song "In Other Words."
The author derives the title of the story "Prithibite Hoyto Brihaspatibar" from the poem "Aaj Brihaspatibar" by Binoy Majumdar. This can be considered as an homage to his predecessor poet. Additionally, the poem serves as a window into the protagonist, Masood's, mental state. While sharing the marketing idea, Masood recites Majumdar to Kaiser Haque:
"Today is Thursday: Maybe it's not Thursday on Earth.
Goats are grazing in the fields, the sun of the cosmos is shining on their backs.
It's time for me to sleep too.
But I can't sleep, thinking of the memory that once corn was soaked in the moonlight.
I sit and count the matchbox sticks."
Haque remains nonplussed by the poem. Masood comforts him, emphasising there's no necessity to comprehend it fully. He suggests simply envisioning a lone man seated, meticulously counting matchsticks. Masood elaborates on the scenario: The man, attempting to nap at noon, observes goats grazing in a sunlit field outside his window. The seemingly mundane occurrence of sunlight takes on cosmic significance in the man's perspective. It triggers a recollection of another cosmic event—moonlight bathing a cornfield on a serene night. Captivated by this memory, the man finds sleep elusive and resorts to passing time by counting matchsticks.
This is an excerpt. Find the full essay on The Daily Star and Star Literature's websites.
Saiful Islam Sazid is a graduate in English literature from Southern University Bangladesh. Reach him at [email protected].
