Mosaic of a Lost Era

Syed Najmuddin Hashem's 'Mosaic of a Lost Era' brings together the finest English writings of a man who wore many hats: journalist, diplomat, and man of letters. Spanning his long life from 1925 to 1999, this collection captures memories of growing up in Old Dhaka during the 1930s, along with heartfelt tributes to friends like novelist Syed Waliullah, economist Akhlaqur Rahman, and Bangladesh's first female diplomat Hosnara Karim. The essays also reflect on Bangladeshi and foreign literature, art, and music, including folk traditions, translations of poems by Shamsur Rahman and Abu Zafar Obaidullah, and pieces on Buddhism's historical ties to Bangladesh and the 1989 death of Soviet Nobel laureate Andrei Sakharov.

Hashem was a witness to history, living through the Quit India Movement, the Language Movement, the war of independence, and the decline of the Soviet Union. Despite this diversity of subjects, the essays are unified by his clarity, warmth, and evident affection for everything he wrote about. This is a remarkable example of English writing from Bangladesh, offering readers a window into both a personal life and a nation's journey through turbulent times.