The Distant Shore
This is the story of an outsider who journeys through the sinews of a regimented society to explore what lies in the corridors of a controlled administration and to find out how the overwhelming politics in a so-called socialist country tramples down the hopes and aspirations of the people and wanes all human and social relationships. Personal pangs aside, the outsider happens to get involved in a number of situations that also expose the agony, angst and exasperation of the people, living in a command bureaucracy and economy. Amid fear and uncertainty, locals like Swat is punished for her love, Mizrab is forced to give up his riches while Abu Zariba, a staunch supporter and a beneficiary of the system, is happy to find ways to ink furtive deals. Besides, the outsider observes how the anti-imperialist stance of the Libyan top administration gives way to saber-rattling, resulting in the US pounding of the country, which not only renders the outsider and many other expatriates jobless but also shatters the dreams of the local young generation.
Haroonuzzaman, a translator, novelist, poet and essayist, was born in Dhaka on January 13, 1951. He has been into teaching at home and abroad (Libya, Qatar) for about 27 years. For the past 12 years, he has been teaching English at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB). Besides, he had been a feature writer of Depthnews, Manila and into English language journalism at The Independent and UNB and into broadcast journalism in Radio Pakistan, Dacca and Bangladesh Betar, Dhaka for about six years. He was the only Asian who worked as an English news broadcaster under Qatar Broadcasting Service in 1992. His notable publications include: Lalon , Radharomon Hason Raja, The Treasure-trove of Children Stories (translations), The Distant Shore, Inseparable and Juddoh (novellas). হারুনুজ্জামান, জন্ম ১৩ই জানুয়ারি, ১৯৫১ সালে ঢাকায়। পেশা শিক্ষকতা। বর্তমান কর্মস্থল-ইংরেজি বিভাগ, ইনডিপেনডেন্ট ইউনিভার্সিটি বাংলাদেশ। পূর্বাপর কর্মকাণ্ড- শিক্ষকতা (লিবিয়া, কাতার); সাংবাদিকতা (দি ইনডিপেনডেন্ট, ইউএনবি); ব্রডকাষ্টার (রেডিও পাকিস্তান, বাংলাদেশ বেতার, কাতার ব্রডকাস্টিং সার্ভিস)। তাঁর প্রকাশিত গ্রন্থসমূহ-Inseprable (fiction); The Distant Shore (Novella); Lalon/লালন (Translation); A Treasur-trove of Choldren Stories (Translation).