''A Golden Age'' is the first novel of the

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

-born writer

Tahmima Anam Tahmima Anam (; born 8 October 1975) is a Bangladeshi-born British writer, novelist and columnist. Her first novel, '' A Golden Age'' (2007), was the Best First Book winner of the 2008 Commonwealth Writers' Prizes. Her follow-up novel, '' The Go ...

. It tells the story of the

Bangladesh War of Liberation The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

through the eyes of one family. The novel was awarded the prize for Best First Book in the

Commonwealth Writers' Prize Commonwealth Foundation has presented a number of prizes since 1987. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best First ...

2008. It was also shortlisted for the 2007

Guardian First Book Award The Guardian First Book Award was a literary award presented by ''The Guardian'' newspaper. It annually recognised one book by a new writer. It was established in 1999, replacing the Guardian Fiction Award or Guardian Fiction Prize that the newspa ...

. The first chapter of the novel appeared in the January 2007 edition of ''

Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story's supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make ...

'' magazine. In 2022, the novel was included on the "

Big Jubilee Read The Big Jubilee Read is a 2022 campaign to promote reading for pleasure and to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II. A list of 70 books by Commonwealth authors, 10 from each decade of Elizabeth II's reign, was selected by a panel of e ...

" list of 70 books by

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

authors, selected to celebrate the

Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration in 2022 marking the Platinum jubilee, 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was the first time that any History of monarchy in the U ...

Synopsis

This historical fiction novel centers the point of view of Rehana Haque, a widowed mother who struggles through

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

as both her children become increasingly involved with the war efforts. The book starts with the death of Rehana's husband and losing then regaining the custody of her children, and then fast forwards to the start of the war where Rehana struggles again to hold on to her children. Rehana struggles with understanding passionate

nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...

of her children and finding her own personal identity outside of being a mother and where her sense of nationalism fits into that identity. The book ends 16 December 1971, the day that the treaty is signed and Bangladesh gained their independence.

Main characters

* ''Rehana Haque'': Main character; Widow and mother. She grew up in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

, India in poverty after her father, an Indian aristocratic lost their fortune from bad luck and worse advice. She moves to East Pakistan after the marriage to Iqbal Haque. Her native tongue is Urdu. * ''Sohail'': Rehana's son, university student, joins the

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini, initially called the Mukti Fauj, also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was a big tent armed guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military personnel, paramilitary personnel and civilians during the Ba ...

as a guerilla fighter. * ''Maya'': Rehana's daughter, university student, moves to

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

to be a journalist for the freedom fighters. * ''Mrs. Chowdhury'': Rehana's friend and neighbor * ''Silvi'': Mrs. Chowdhury's daughter and a love interest of Sohail's * ''Sharmeen'': Maya's Friend who was captured by the Pakistan army and kept at the cantonment in Dhaka and

raped Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person w ...

repeatedly. She and her unborn child died in the hospital. * ''Iqbal Haque'': Rehana's dead husband * ''The Major'': Guerrilla commander, injured in secret operation and brought to Rehana's house to be nursed back to health by Rehana and then becomes Rehana's love interest. * ''Sabeer'': Silvi's fiancé, Pakistan soldier turned freedom fighter for Bengali * ''Mr and Mrs. Sengupta'': Rehana's Hindu tenants at Shona * ''Mrs.Rahman and Mrs.Akram'': Rehana's neighbours and fellow 'sewing sisters' * ''Faiz Haque'' : Rehana's brother in law, Works with the Pakistan army. * ''Parveen Haque'' : Faiz's wife. She cannot have children so works to have Rehana seen as unfit after the death of Iqbal so that she have get custody of Sohail and Maya.

Background

Inspiration

The author

was born in Bangladesh, but grew up traveling around the world due to the work of her father,

Mahfuz Anam Mahfuz Anam (; born 18 June 1950) is a leading Bangladeshi journalist and public intellectual. He is the editor and publisher of '' The Daily Star'', which is the largest English newspaper in the country. He was elected chairman of the Asia Ne ...

, who is the editor of '' The Daily Star''. The author was inspired by her family's personal experience of their role in the Bangladesh Independence war. She grew up listening to the stories of her grandmother harboring freedom fighters and hiding guns and weapons in the family garden. This led the author to be inspired to write about everyday citizens' war experience and small, but meaningful ways they can become revolutionaries.

Historical context

was known as

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

before its fight for independence from

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

in the Bangladesh Liberation War. East Pakistan was formed when British rule ended in India and Pakistan was formed in 1947. The territories were situated on either side of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

as the book phrases "a pair of horns" on either side of India. This large separation between the two territories led to East Pakistan to be treated like a colony. The West controlled the political majority and economic distribution of both territories. There were also major cultural differences between the two territories. Pakistan mainly practiced

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

and spoke

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

. Whereas East Pakistan had both Muslim and Hindu populations and spoke mainly Bengali. The inequality, neglect, and differences led to the unrest in East Pakistan. The call for independence from

West Pakistan West Pakistan was the western province of Pakistan between One Unit, 1955 and Legal Framework Order, 1970, 1970, covering the territory of present-day Pakistan. Its land borders were with Afghanistan, India and Iran, with a maritime border wit ...

led to the Bangladesh Liberation War. The mounting Bengali nationalist movement led to the Pakistan army to carry out

Operation Searchlight Operation Searchlight was a military operation carried out by the Pakistan Army in an effort to curb the Bengali nationalist movement in former East Pakistan in March 1971. Pakistan retrospectively justified the operation on the basis of ant ...

. This military operation targeted Bengali intellectuals, academics including university students, and Hindus. They were captured, tortured, and/or killed. This led to the

1971 Bangladesh genocide The Bangladesh genocide was the ethnic cleansing of Bengalis residing in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during the Bangladesh Liberation War, perpetrated by the Pakistan Army and the Razakar (Pakistan), Razakars. It began on 25 March 1971, as ...

that caused millions of refugees to flee to India and the deaths of 58,000 to 3,000,000 civilians. The exact number of deaths is still unknown. The book features the attacks on the city of

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

during

. Rehana's children escape the attacks on

Dhaka University The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...

due to an engagement party for Silvi. The next day 26 March 1971 the

called for independence from Pakistan and establishment of the new country of Bangladesh. The civil war began in full force. Though the Indian military was already pumping the Bengalis against West Pakistan, the Bengali efforts bore fruit when the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

intervened in December 1971 on the side of the Bengali, Pakistan gave Independence to East Pakistan on 16 December 1971, and thus Bangladesh came into being.

Themes

Motherhood

Rehana's whole adult life has centered around her children. As a young widow she fights to regain custody of her children after losing them to her late husband's brother and wife. As her children get older Rehana struggles to relate to them. The struggle to relate intensifies as the tension in East Pakistan increased and then the war starts and their passion for Bengali leads to their involvement and support for the war. Rehana then must struggle to keep her children safe. She would do and sacrifice anything for her children and does by the end of the book. This affliction leads Rehana to struggle with finding her own identity outside of motherhood.

Nationalism

Growing up with two parents that had been involved with the Bangladesh Liberation War,

patriotism Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to one's country or state. This attachment can be a combination of different feelings for things such as the language of one's homeland, and its ethnic, cultural, politic ...

was important to Anam's family. This theme is reflected in the book. Throughout the book Rehana struggles with her feelings toward Bangladesh. Rehana grew up in calucutta and then left to west Pakistan after her marriage and her native tongue became Urdu, Rehana does not feel the same sense of

as her children. Sohail and Maya were born in Dhaka and their native tongue is Bengali and have an easy loyalty to Bangladesh. She must search within herself if she believes in the war and finding independence for Bangladesh. Rehana finds her nationalism within her own experiences and those she loves that have brought the idea of the nation of Bangladesh to hold significance for her.

Women's experience in war

Rehana's story shows the often forgotten experience of women in war. Rehana must bear the deepest part of her soul to save her children. This includes giving up the man she grows to love to save her son and herself. This story reveals that while a women's role in war is different, they too do not come out untouched.

Publication

The book was originally published in the United Kingdom by

Canongate Books Canongate Books (trading as Canongate) is an independent publishing firm based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is named after the Canongate area of the city. It is most recognised for publishing the Booker Prize winning novel '' Life of Pi'' (2001 ...

, and then later published in the United States by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

. Its original release date was 8 January 2007, and it has been translated into 22 languages.

Critical reception

Clemency Burton-Hill Clemency Margaret Greatrex Burton-Hill (born 17 March 1981) is an English broadcaster, author, novelist, journalist, and violinist. In her early career she also worked as an actress. In January 2020 she suffered a brain haemorrhage caused by a ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' described the book as a "stunning debut"; David Robson from ''

The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, first published on 5 February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Tele ...

'' described its beginning as the struggle of a new author, but the story turns "into a real page-turner, with a bravura, heart-stopping ending"; and Theo Chapman from ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' called the book a "thought-provoking work and a rewarding read". The book has, however, received some criticism for having factual inaccuracies. This includes citing the 1963 film ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

'' before it was released which left some critics questioning some of the liberties that Anam took with the fictional characters and telling of the story.

Awards

*Winner of the

Best First Book (2008) *Shortlisted for Costa First Novel Award (2007) *Shortlisted for

First Book Award (2007)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Golden Age, A 2007 debut novels Bangladesh Liberation War fiction Bangladeshi books Bangladeshi novels Fiction set in 1971 Historical novels John Murray (publishing house) books Novels set in Bangladesh War novels