Kitaab

Kitaab Kitaab empowers and connects Asian writers and readers worldwide. The revamped website was launched in July 2013 with a much stronger focus.

Kitaab, which means “book” in many Asian languages, was founded in 2005 by journalist and writer Zafar Anjum in Singapore as a space to celebrate and critique Asia+n writing in English. Kitaab aims to help you avoid information overload which is the curse of the information age. The idea behind Kitaab is to create a link-based information storehouse where the most important stories on Asian writer

s and writing are carefully curated, so that lovers of Asian writing do not have to look anywhere else for the assorted news and views on their favourite books and writers. All they need to do is to visit Kitaab and quench their literary thirst. Headquartered in Singapore, Kitaab provides a writing and publishing platform to emerging and seasoned writers from the region to express themselves creatively.

Academic, critic and translator Himansu S. Mohapatra translates an essay originally written by him in Odia and published...
13/01/2025

Academic, critic and translator Himansu S. Mohapatra translates an essay originally written by him in Odia and published as a lead article in Sambad on 6 December 2024. Editor’s Pick of the Week (As the Editor’s Pick this piece will be available for free reading this week) Literature is loved before it is known. It is in our bloodstream before it is studied....

Academic, critic and translator Himansu S. Mohapatra translates an essay originally written by him in...

Jahanara Tariq narrates the tale of love and loss through the lens of magical realism. Editor’s Pick of the Week (As t...
12/01/2025

Jahanara Tariq narrates the tale of love and loss through the lens of magical realism. Editor’s Pick of the Week (As the Editor’s Pick this piece will be available for free reading this week) Rubbing a layer of a corroded, maroon balm on the upper ridge of my nose was a personal ritual whenever I sat down to write....

Jahanara Tariq narrates the tale of love and loss through the lens of magical realism....

Rupesh tells the tale of two friends, surrounded by faith and blind belief as they go through life and its twists and tu...
11/01/2025

Rupesh tells the tale of two friends, surrounded by faith and blind belief as they go through life and its twists and turns. Editor’s Pick of the Week (As the Editor’s Pick this piece will be available for free reading this week) ‘Don’t look at the moon.’ My mom’s voice resonated in my mind, amidst the deep clatter and honking of vehicles whizzing past me....

Rupesh tells the tale of two friends, surrounded by faith and blind belief as they...

K.S. Subramanian narrates a poignant tale about the bonds we form with strangers who go on to become invisible ties that...
11/01/2025

K.S. Subramanian narrates a poignant tale about the bonds we form with strangers who go on to become invisible ties that keep us deeply connected. Editor’s Pick of the Week (As the Editor’s Pick this piece will be available for free reading this week) It was a spacious flat – about 1000 plus sq ft – but the space hardly mattered to the 80-year-old man on whose shoulders time sat as an unheralded, sometimes scary burden. ...

K.S. Subramanian narrates a poignant tale about the bonds we form with strangers who go...

Kritika G Soin shares a heartwarming and tender tale of love full of hope and the beauty of life when one is surrounded ...
11/01/2025

Kritika G Soin shares a heartwarming and tender tale of love full of hope and the beauty of life when one is surrounded by love. Editor’s Pick of the Week (As the Editor’s Pick this piece will be available for free reading this week) Maya sang Bengali songs better than the original artists. There was something in her voice that gave the songs more flavour....

Kritika G Soin shares a heartwarming and tender tale of love full of hope and...

Namrata reviews The New New Delhi Book Club by Radhika Swarup (Published by Tranquebar, 2024) calling it a tender reflec...
01/01/2025

Namrata reviews The New New Delhi Book Club by Radhika Swarup (Published by Tranquebar, 2024) calling it a tender reflection on our collective humanity. Radhika Swarup, a critically acclaimed author and masterful storyteller, possesses a rare gift—the ability to craft narratives that delve deep into the unspoken, often invisible recesses of the human heart. She distills complex emotions into tender, resonant prose, illuminating the quiet strength that defines the human spirit....

Namrata reviews The New New Delhi Book Club by Radhika Swarup (Published by Tranquebar, 2024)...

An exclusive excerpt from Calcutta Jhalmuri by Probal J Bhattacharya (Published by Om Books International, 2024). He was...
30/12/2024

An exclusive excerpt from Calcutta Jhalmuri by Probal J Bhattacharya (Published by Om Books International, 2024). He was having the same nightmare once again; it never left him. He could see nothing but darkness. Desperate cries for help to the Almighty, the roaring Mayurakshi river wreaking havoc all around, the torrential rain beating down on his shivering back as he sat hugging Nishikanto Mama atop a tree....

An exclusive excerpt from Calcutta Jhalmuri by Probal J Bhattacharya (Published by Om Books International,...

Umar Hayat Hussain shares a poignant story of hope and survival while reflecting on the daily battles of life. Editor’s ...
29/12/2024

Umar Hayat Hussain shares a poignant story of hope and survival while reflecting on the daily battles of life. Editor’s Pick of the Week (As the Editor’s Pick this piece will be available for free reading this week) I constantly think of her. She was my everything. I always remember the golden days we spent together, sharing both joys and sorrows....

Umar Hayat Hussain shares a poignant story of hope and survival while reflecting on the...

Giovanna Puthumana shares a powerful story mixing suspense, thrill, magic, and fantasy to create an unforgettable read. ...
28/12/2024

Giovanna Puthumana shares a powerful story mixing suspense, thrill, magic, and fantasy to create an unforgettable read. Editor’s Pick of the Week (As the Editor’s Pick this piece will be available for free reading this week) I could sometimes move objects with no contact. Actually, it’s whenever I like. Slight changes that won’t send the police after me. Put out a lightbulb here, make a book fall down there....

Giovanna Puthumana shares a powerful story mixing suspense, thrill, magic, and fantasy to create an...

Poet and Critic Gopal Lahiri reviews Sangeeta Sharma's Under The Sapphire Sky (Tristoop Books, 2024) observing how the b...
27/12/2024

Poet and Critic Gopal Lahiri reviews Sangeeta Sharma's Under The Sapphire Sky (Tristoop Books, 2024) observing how the book stands out for its recreation, retrospective shine, serenity and outpouring of emotion. ISBN:978-81-963006-9-2 Publisher: Tristoop Books, RC-45, Street No.33 City Centre, Durgapur-713216, India Price: INR-349/- Poetry is a form of condensation and sometimes a poem condenses the poetic journey. Implicit in poetry is the idea that we are enriched by the recognition and understanding of suffering and longing- not just our own but also that of others....

Poet and Critic Gopal Lahiri reviews Sangeeta Sharma’s Under The Sapphire Sky (Tristoop Books, 2024)...

Team Kitaab pays homage to M.T. Vausdevan Nair, Titan of Malayalam literature. The literary world mourns the loss of M.T...
26/12/2024

Team Kitaab pays homage to M.T. Vausdevan Nair, Titan of Malayalam literature. The literary world mourns the loss of M.T. Vasudevan Nair, affectionately known as 'MT', who passed away on December 25, 2024, at the age of 91 in Kozhikode, Kerala. Nair had been undergoing treatment following a cardiac arrest the previous week. Born on July 15, 1933, in Kudallur, Kerala, Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair emerged as a monumental figure in Malayalam literature and cinema....

Team Kitaab pays homage to M.T. Vausdevan Nair, Titan of Malayalam literature. The literary world...

Team Kitaab pays tribute to Bapsi Sidhwa, a pioneer of South Asian Literature. The literary world bids farewell to Bapsi...
26/12/2024

Team Kitaab pays tribute to Bapsi Sidhwa, a pioneer of South Asian Literature. The literary world bids farewell to Bapsi Sidhwa, the celebrated Pakistan-born novelist and a trailblazer in South Asian literature, who passed away on December 25, 2024, at the age of 86 in Houston, U.S. Her passing was confirmed by her family, with memorial ceremonies announced by her brother, Feroze Bhandara, to take place over three days, culminating in her last rites in Houston....

Team Kitaab pays tribute to Bapsi Sidhwa, a pioneer of South Asian Literature. The literary...

Namrata reviews The Little Wave and Other Stories by Sonal Sachdev Patel and A.M. Johnson (Scholastic India, 2024) calli...
26/12/2024

Namrata reviews The Little Wave and Other Stories by Sonal Sachdev Patel and A.M. Johnson (Scholastic India, 2024) calling it a cherished keepsake. The Little Wave and Other Stories is a tender and beautifully illustrated collection that delicately explores themes of loss, resilience, and healing. Through four thoughtful tales, Sonal Patel and Ashley Johnson create a comforting space for children and families to engage with difficult emotions in an accessible and heartfelt way....

Namrata reviews The Little Wave and Other Stories by Sonal Sachdev Patel and A.M. Johnson...

In this essay, Farhan Rasool analyses To Kill a Mockingbird and the various themes reflecting in this classic. Editor’s ...
24/12/2024

In this essay, Farhan Rasool analyses To Kill a Mockingbird and the various themes reflecting in this classic. Editor’s Pick of the Week (As the Editor’s Pick this piece will be available for free reading this week) "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."...

In this essay, Farhan Rasool analyses To Kill a Mockingbird and the various themes reflecting...

Manasi Vashisht shares a tale inspired by the story of the ‘Akshay Patra', an 'inexhaustible vessel' of nourishment and ...
21/12/2024

Manasi Vashisht shares a tale inspired by the story of the ‘Akshay Patra', an 'inexhaustible vessel' of nourishment and reimagines it through the life of a teenage bride in 1920s India. Editor’s Pick of the Week (As the Editor’s Pick this piece will be available for free reading this week) 3rd January, 1920 I woke up to a nightmare this morning....

Manasi Vashisht shares a tale inspired by the story of the ‘Akshay Patra’, an ‘inexhaustible...

Amita Ray shares a poignant tale of love and loss and how life comes a full circle at times bringing unexpected surprise...
21/12/2024

Amita Ray shares a poignant tale of love and loss and how life comes a full circle at times bringing unexpected surprises. Editor’s Pick of the Week (As the Editor’s Pick this piece will be available for free reading this week) The bittersweet cadence of shehnai wafting from afar had a numbing effect on Vinod. It evoked a niggling ache, a wrench in his heart ushering him into hoary memories; thoughts which he both craved to dive into and run away from....

Amita Ray shares a poignant tale of love and loss and how life comes a...

Namrata reviews Maria Aurora Couto's At Home in Two Words: Essays on Goa (Speaking Tiger, 2024) calling it a masterful c...
20/12/2024

Namrata reviews Maria Aurora Couto's At Home in Two Words: Essays on Goa (Speaking Tiger, 2024) calling it a masterful collection that captures the soul of Goa through the lens of a brilliant memoirist and cultural advocate. At Home in Two Worlds by Maria Aurora Couto is a profound and evocative collection of posthumously published essays that stands as a testament to her unparalleled literary prowess and unwavering cultural advocacy....

Namrata reviews Maria Aurora Couto’s At Home in Two Words: Essays on Goa (Speaking Tiger,...

Rachita Swain reviews Wild Women- Seekers, Protagonists and Goddesses in Sacred Indian Poetry by Arundhathi Subramaniam ...
20/12/2024

Rachita Swain reviews Wild Women- Seekers, Protagonists and Goddesses in Sacred Indian Poetry by Arundhathi Subramaniam (Penguin, 2024) calling it the fiercely feminine spirit of Bhakti tradition. Arundhathi Subramaniam has captured the chutzpah of women in the pages of her curated anthology: of women as seekers, protagonists and Goddesses in the sacred canon of Indian Devotional Poetry. India, being a country that houses diverse spiritual sects, has accommodated the journeys of mystics from all centuries, across various regions....

Rachita Swain reviews Wild Women- Seekers, Protagonists and Goddesses in Sacred Indian Poetry by Arundhathi...

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