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In this episode of the Strange Horizons podcast, editor Anaea Lay presents Shahidul Zahir's “Woodcutter and Crows | কাঠুরে ও দাঁড়কাক," translated by Mir Rifat Us Salaheen and Layli Uddin.



Shahidul Zahir, 1953-2008, a prolific Bangladeshi short story writer and novelist, lived in Old Dhaka for most of his life, and used it as a backdrop in most of his stories. Known in Bangladesh for the use of magical realism in his plots, he introduces his readers to a world of human-animal relationships, rituals, myths, superstitions, and traditions. His major works include the short story collections Parapar (1985), Dumur-kheko Manush O Onyanya Golp (2000), and Dolu nodir Hawa O Onyanya Golp (2004), and the novels Jibon O Rajnaitik Bastobota (1988), Mukher dike dekhi (2006) and Abu Ibrahimer Mrityu (2009). This article from The Dhaka Tribune remembers the author and his work.