A Strange Coincidence and Other Stories
By Quazi Mostain Billah
Blurb:
If there is a common thread that binds these stories, then it is anomalies of human existence. In the first story, the speaker discovers himself lining up to board an aircraft having on him none of the essentials for such a voyage, either a ticket or a passport. Bemusedly, he ponders how a conscientious person like him could have left home without carrying the essentials for a trip and is left wondering how to interpret his own lapse to himself. Did he forget the indispensable items as he was contemplating another journey with another set of prerequisites? He cannot resolve the mystery. The men and women in the other stories are also puzzled by different and surprising developments as they negotiate their ways in life while wading through its web of anomalies.
Bio:
Quazi Mostain Billah was born on 24 January in 1951. He studied English literature at Dhaka University and the University of Texas. He taught English at Chittagong University from 1975 to 2016. Currently, he teaches at Chittagong Independent University. His publications include Foundation English for Undergraduates, Plator Sahitto Darshan, Chiriakhanar Galpo O Onnano Natok, Shakespearer Jibon O Karmo, and A Short History of Chittagong Club. He is also a translator and has published Sons of the Sea, Ramgolam, and The Reason Why Abdul Jalil Died.