The book ‘Not A Utopia: State of Affairs in Bangladesh and the World’ is authored by the acclaimed analyst, fiction writer and art critic Hasnat Abdul Hye. Published by Arial—a media and publication house based in Montreal, Canada—the book was published in September 2024. Its modest yet thoughtful cover design is by Shibani Karmakar, with graphic design by Musa Al Amin.
Spanning 405 pages, the book is an anthology of 71 articles organized into seven chapters. These articles have been published between 2021 and 2024 in The Financial Express. The chapters explore a wide range of pressing issues: Chapter One addresses climate change and the environment; Chapter Two focuses on conflict and war; Chapter Three delves into migration; Chapter Four discusses democracy and governance; Chapter Five highlights poverty and gender issues; Chapter Six covers global challenges; and Chapter Seven examines social media and artificial intelligence.
In the introduction of the book Hasnat Abdul Hye writes: “Almost like in utopia’ but not quite because, firstly, the reality is far from the ideal, and secondly, utopia by definition is unattainable fully, being the product of imagination. So, the title suggests on the one hand, that the present state of affairs in the areas of human endeavor that matter for commonweal of mankind is far from that of what can be called a utopia. On the other hand, it is being implied that if the malaise that afflict these issues now could be consciously and sustainably alleviated, mankind’s life within national boundaries and bound by international relations could be improved by a degree that would appear near about that in a utopia.”
Those who are familiar with the style of Hasnat Abdul Hye as a writer will enjoy reading the articles in this compilation because of the abundance of information and the spark of analytical brilliance in them. Each article will generate questions in the minds of a mature reader and inspire him/her to read the next one.
A few words about the writer:
Hasnat Abdul Hye studied economics at Dhaka University, University of Washington, London School of Economics and Development Studies at Cambridge University. He was a visiting scholar at Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford and a visiting Scholar at Kyoto University.
Hasnat Abdul Hye started his career as a senior lecturer in the department of economics, Dhaka University (1964). He later joined the civil service of Pakistan and served at various places in different posts in former Pakistan and in Bangladesh. He retired as secretary to the Government of Bangladesh in 2000.
During his career in public service, besides working in various ministries, he was Managing Director of Bangladesh Krishi Bank, Chairman, Bangladesh Shilpo Rin Sangstha, Chairman, Industrial Promotion and Development Company (IPDC), Charirman, Basic Bank and Chairman, Karnaphuly Fertilizer Company (KAFCO).
Hasnat Abdul Hye has written books on poverty, planning and governance. Articles written by him on national and global economics were published in a book titled ‘Economic Issues that Matter’ (2022).
Hasnat Abdul Hye is a renowned writer of fiction and is an art critic. He received Bangla Academy Award for fiction in 1977 and was awarded Ekushey Padak in 1996 by the government for his contributions to literature.