Of Blood and Fire

Jahanara Imam kept a diary through 1971, and the entries record the Liberation War as it reached one Dhaka household. Translated into English by Mustafizur Rahman, Of Blood and Fire follows nine months in which a mother watched her son and his friends join the fight and then waited for news that often did not arrive. The record is domestic and immediate: curfews, rumours, neighbours, hospital visits, small decisions taken under occupation. Because it was written while events were happening, it carries a texture that later histories of the war, however well researched, cannot reproduce. Details that matter: • Diary-based account of the 1971 Liberation War • English translation by Mustafizur Rahman • Civilian perspective from inside occupied Dhaka • Primary source material for students of Bangladeshi history Essential for students, researchers and readers of Bangladesh's national history, available at Boipoka.