Wallowing in Dhaka City: A bold and refreshing book

Most of the pen-pushers these days have become quite liberal with their use of superlatives. Every young writer (singer, painter, other performing artists, et al) is a genius, brilliant, superb, erudite and what not?  Whenever I am told of a new genius on the block, I take that information with a handful of salt. Having said that, when I heard about Ishtiaque Hossains first book “Wallowing in Dhaka City”–which is a collection of short stories with a few recurring characters– it piqued my curiosity. Having known the young man for several years and being quite familiar with his writings I can safely say that if there is one budding writer deserving of the epithet ‘genius’, then it is him. We had long conversations (now increasingly rare) with liquid refreshments lubricating our thought processes; and I was always impressed by Hossain’s clarity of thought, incisive arguments, observational power and the ability to read between the lines. In my opinion all these qualities are essential for one striving to become a creative writer.
When I got hold of the book the first reaction was one of disappointment. I was expecting a bigger book–preferably a novel. I rather strongly believe that he has the all the abilities to work on a bigger canvas. However after going through the pages I had to say to myself, “Well, good things often do come in small packages.” And after all, it is his first book.   
“Wallowing in Dhaka City” is written in a language that is true, vigorous and racy, even a bit raunchy at times. As I am no prude I believe that many of our writers (both in Bangla and English) are rather squeamish about their use of words and phrases. It is silly really. ‘Son of a bitch’ and ‘puppy’ do not quite carry the same weight.  Thankfully, Hossain is bold enough to use the right expressions for the right locales and situations.
There is an undercurrent of humour throughout the book. Once you start reading it you must finish it. The characters have been drawn with dexterity. And it is clear that the writer has experienced life in its various forms, otherwise he could not have depicted a character like Montu Mia, Khushu Pagla, Zohura, et al. Most of us ‘bhadraloks’ know that these types of people exist and that is our limit of knowledge about them.  
Although I have been gushing about the book, it has its faults. And these are very small. However the readers can be exacting and the writer can be complacent only at their own peril. I hope Ishtiaque Hossain will make the necessary adjustments in the next edition. And I am pretty sure there will be more editions. I will not give the storylines as I am no spoilsport and really want the readers to read the book.
And last but not the least; I hope Hossain’s next book will be bigger in size and a novel. I believe that he has what it takes to write the definitive English novel as a Bangladeshi writer.

The readers can get the book from Amazon.com