A native of Adelaide, South Australia and a self-described hack, Kathryn Hummel’s fiction and non-fiction has previously appeared in publications as diverse as Bread and Wine (advocating the ordination of women to the priesthood), Meanjin (one of Australia’s top literary journals), and the Spiny Babbler Anthology (available out of Kathmandu). Kathryn’s previous PopMatters offerings consist of her Travels in Little America columns, written to give outsiders an inside view of Australia; she now writes The Bengal Gaze as an outsider in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with the hope of becoming less of one. Kathryn is also the author of a film/gender studies manuscript entitled Deliciously in Between: Gender Transgression and Conservatism in Celluloid Gay Best Friendship. Expressions of interest from curious publishers are always welcome!
Columns
Wednesday, June 4 2008
Guided by a Bengali Poet
When people ask what my Bangladesh life was like, I will say that at its best, it followed the path of the poet Jibanananda Das.
Friday, February 29 2008
The Rickshaw as an Endangered Species
Bangladesh's endangered rickshaws and wallahs serve as brightly coloured, moving works of art, and as constant, mobile displays of human nature – often at its best.
Wednesday, January 2 2008
In Conversation with Bangladeshi Poet, Kaiser Haq
There are more than a dozen languages spoken in Bangladesh. English is a presence, a second language, in which poets such as Haq can be found.
Tuesday, November 13 2007
Living in a Po-Co World
Expats in post-colonial Dhaka have their hearts in the right places, if their generosity at fund-raising events is anything to go by, although the end result is haphazard, like a game of ‘Pin the Conscience on the Public Servant’ that has been played their tipsy spouses.
Tuesday, October 9 2007
Sacred Ornas and Secret Longings
The orna's slim fabric casts a net of symbolism and serves as a democratic garment -- for a certain class of people.
