The Game in Reverse: Poems by Taslima Nasrin

by Taslima Nasrin

The Game In Reverse is the first volume of Nasrin's poetry in English translation. Presented here are more than forty of the poems that have gathered both an international following and considerable controversy for the author.

Genres: Poetry, Literature

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Taslima Nasrin (Bengali: তসলিমা নাসরিন) is an award-winning Bangladeshi writer, physician, secular humanist and human rights activist, known for her powerful writings on women oppression and unflinching criticism of religion, despite forced exile and multiple fatwas calling for her death. Early in her literary career, she wrote mainly poetry, and published half a dozen collections of poetry between 1982 and 1993, often with female oppression as a theme. She started publishing prose in the early 1990s, and produced three collections of essays and four novels before the publication of her 1993 novel Lajja (Bengali: লজ্জা Lôjja), or Shame. Because of her thoughts and ideas she has been banned, blacklisted and banished from Bengal, both from Bangladesh and West Bengal part of India. Since fleeing Bangladesh in 1994, she has lived in many countries, and lives in United States as of July 2016. Nasrin has written 40 books in Bengali, which includes poetry, essays, novels and autobiography series. Her works have been translated in thirty different languages. Some of her books are banned in Bangladesh.'

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Undoubtedly Nasarina is a champion of social issues and an incredible achiever in the face of overwhelming adversity, but perhaps it's best to leave poetry to poets.

Check out "Run Run" for a taste.

That said, I wonder how much is lost in translation.

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EDIT
Wow, I was a huge, uninformed jerk twelve years ago. I still have this book and revisit it. I guess I was a jealous CIS wannabe writer so angry at the world that I needed to take it out on someone with both lived experience and talent.

My apologies to the author.

Please yes get this collection and let it change you.

[Jessica Vassalo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taslima Nasrin writes from her soul in this book of poetry. Many of her poems express her feelings about the oppression of women in the Muslim society in which she was raised. She was exiled from her homeland because of her ability to express. One can commend her for her brave actions and appreciate her expression via her poems. They are meaningful and yet I'm sure that much of her message is lost in translation

[Molly M M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poet went through hell and back to express her beliefs in a country that didn't want to hear them.

[Celeste · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have yet to find anything by Taslima Nareen that I like. Maybe it is a translation issue, or a cultural aesthetics issue.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Made me want to read her autobiography.