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Students of Contemporary World Literature-Eng 305, taught by Shahnewaz Kabir, organized and engaged a student seminar on magic realism on Thursday, December 15, 2011 in Roof Top Seminar, Campus B, ULAB. Twenty four students from DEH, MSJ and USB took part in the seminar entitled, “Magical Realism: Origin and Definition.” The students divided in six groups presented speeches supported by power point slides and audio-visual clips. The first group attempted to outline magic realism as an aesthetic term that was originated in the context of post expressionistic movements of painting in Germany during the Weimar Republic in the 1920s’, but later became popular in Central and Latin America in two parallel streams - one influenced by painting experimentation in Europe, and the other inspired by the cultural, demographical and political diversity that the continents enjoys.
The second group highlighted Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende as pioneering figures of Latin American Magic Realism in 1950s’ and 60s’, and illuminated on the new style of narrative technique they developed in the iconic novels One Hundred Years of Solitude and The House of Spirits, respectively. Students of the following group attempted to discern the narrative streaming of magic realism from fantasy and science fiction. On the other hand, another group focused on painting and attempted to show how magical realism was distinguishable from other contemporary trends like surrealism and new objectivity.
The penultimate group fascinated the audience by showing how the movement has greatly influenced children’s literature and films in the entertainment industry. Students screened video clips from ‘Luna Papa’ and ‘Love in the Time Cholera’ to furnish their claims.
The concluding group members briefly discussed the recent trends of magical realism which we observe today in the novels composed by well-known authors like Salman Rushdie, Grunter Grass, Toni Morrison. They also portrayed Shahidul Zahir, a contemporary Bangladeshi author, as an exponent of magical realism and examined the story telling style he engaged in Shomaj o Rajnoitik Bastobota, a novel with the setting of Dhaka during the outbreak of Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
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Advocate Alena Khan is the Chairperson and Chief Executive of BHRF. ULAB Adjunct Faculty and Advocate ABM Hamidul Mishbah was the coordinator for the event.
After the screening, Aly Zaker gave his keynote lecture on "Contribution of Freedom Fighters and Martyred Intellectuals in the victory of the Independence War." ULAB’s Shangskriti Shangshad performed patriotic songs. Aly Zaker received a crest from the university.ULAB Board of Trustees, faculty members, staff and students were in presence. ULAB Acting Vice Chancellor Professor Imran Rahman ended the program with his vote of thanks.
