The twenty-four stories in 1971 and After are a representative fraction of the numerous short stories written about the War of Liberation and its aftermath. They include stories by well known writers such as Akhtaruzzaman Elias,Alauddin Al Azad,Hasan Azizul Huq,Humayun Ahmed,Makbula Manzoor,and Nasreen Jahan as well as by a number of less well known writers. Taken together,they give a varied perspective on the events of 1971 and after. The stories,some written immediately after the war,some decades later,have been arranged so that they begin with 1971 and end with the present. They include stories of the incredible heroism of ordinary people caught up in the conflict,as well as stories of cowardice and collaboration,of women who became “heroines” and found there was no welcome for them in their own homes,of heroes who turned villains. The stories of 1971 and After make thought-provoking reading about the thirty years of Bangladesh. Contents Nineteen Seventy-One The Raincoat Sons of the Soil The Holocaust The Unidentified Corpse The Shadow of Vultures The Fluent Player Nameless and Casteless Jesus ’71 The White Lily The Last Encounter Victory Day Transformation The Skull Virangana Hangover The Freedom Fighter King Azi and The Singer Rockabye Baby on the Tree Top We are Waiting / Confrontation Jalil Saheb’s Petition Sweet Bird of Hope Non-Story The Writers The Translators
