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Editor's Introduction

Polymath and ‘poet-emperor’ Rabindranath Tagore, the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize (1913), experienced a unique blend of vilification and acclaim throughout his life. However, some critics profess that all controversies surrounding the poet ceased in his native Bengal after his death, where he is now lionised as a demigod and cherished ubiquitously and unequivocally. In this article, I first refute this assertion by illustrating how Tagore has come under attack from several conservative Muslim critics and internet trolls since his death, accusing him of Hindu chauvinism and hostility towards Muslims. I then respond to these attacks by arguing with examples from Tagore’s poems, fiction, essays, interviews, letters, and lectures that he was not a sectarian writer but a proponent of cultural and religious pluralism and a cosmopolitan who believed not just in Hindu–Muslim unity but in the solidarity and harmony of all human races, nations, and religions, in the spirit of mutual goodwill, empathy, fellowship, and fraternity. Finally, I argue why Tagore rejected political and economic forms of cosmopolitanism in favour of a spiritual and cultural one, and how his outlook could be an antidote to the proliferating racially charged, turbulent, ‘tribal’, populist politics, and various forms of virulent nationalisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this interview, Bangladeshi Anglophone writer Saad Z. Hossain (1979-) addresses several important issues involving his works, worldview, and writing career. First, he explains when he began writing, what inspired him to write, why he chose to write in English, and whom he writes for. He also discusses his writing and reading habits, his favourite authors, how he negotiates between his seemingly opposite interests as a businessman and a writer, and his view of the present state of English writing in Bangladesh. Moreover, Hossain talks about his narrative techniques, how his fiction has evolved over the years, how he works out a plot from his multi-thread narrative, his predilection for characters over plot, and how he compares his experience of writing prose fiction in different forms: novels, novellas, and short stories. Finally, the author reflects on his themes, use of humour, view of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and what he is currently writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Malaysian born distinguished Singaporean novelist Suchen Christine Lim speaks on the reasons for her introduction to writing in English, her formative years, and her position as a writer in Singapore. She reveals that Singaporean and Malaysian literature in English is very young and hence needs more informed criticism and a new critical conceptual framework.

This paper investigates Adibah Amin's use of humour in the two volumes of her occasional writing, As I was Passing (2007). To pursue this objective, the theory of humour formulated by John Morreall, a renowned contemporary figure in humour studies, has been used to frame the discussion. However, since Morreall focuses mostly on spoken humour, the paper also makes references to Dominic Cheetam's work on written humour. The analysis shows that some elements fundamental to humour that can be found in Adibah Amin's writing are the presence of cognitive shifts that involve expectations and violation thereof, the play mode that induces practical disengagement, and the sense of enjoyment that is exhilarating and liberating. Furthermore, Adibah Amin uses humour to promote intellectual and moral values. Besides making use of incongruities in things, Adibah Amin also includes some incongruities in presentation in her writing, which deal with her comical adaptations of linguistic patterns, further proving her astute use of humour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]