Flap Description:

“The evening of the Bhadra month. The sky is cloudy. The clouds are reddish. These clouds don’t bring rain, but they look beautiful. This deep red, this light yellow, and in the blink of an eye, the reddish hues mix with brown to create a completely different color. It seems as if the person playing with these colors is in a state of indecision.”

Thus begins the final novel of Humayun Ahmed’s four-decade-long colorful writing career, দেয়াল (The Wall). Humayun Ahmed started writing দেয়াল in mid-2011. At that time, the first five chapters of the novel were published in Annyodin magazine. After a break, during his cancer treatment in the United States, he refocused on writing দেয়াল, although he didn’t get the chance to finalize the novel.

The mention of indecision in the opening paragraph, referring to the changing sky, is significant. The time depicted in দেয়াল is that of a newly independent nation, a period of extreme uncertainty in its fate. Some characters in the novel are based on real people, with their names and events being part of history. Since it is a novel, fictional characters have also been created, and the story revolves around them.

Amidst various events, the beauty and truth of life are not lost. The combination of historical truth and the author’s creative imagination turns দেয়াল into a moving narrative.

Introduction:

In the absence of Humayun Ahmed, his novel দেয়াল is being published. At the request of the publisher, I am writing the introduction. I feel that this book does not require any introduction.

Before its publication in book form, দেয়াল sparked some controversy, even reaching the courts. Following the advice of the High Court, the author altered the first published version of the novel. The book will now be published in this modified form. Even so, I believe দেয়াল will remain a subject of debate.

The novel presents two parallel narratives. The first is the story of a rebellious and unconventional girl named Avanti. Her father is absent, and her mother, Isabella, has left her father and returned to Spain. Avanti lives in Dhaka with her grandfather, Sarfaraz Khan, a conservative and whimsical man. Sarfaraz secretly reads letters from her mother and watches Avanti’s teacher, Shafiq. During the war for independence, Avanti moves from Dhaka to the village for safety but eventually takes refuge in a religious leader’s house. A Pakistani army officer sees Avanti and wants to marry her. To save her, the religious leader arranges her marriage to Hafiz Jahangir. Avanti does not accept this marriage, but she does not cut ties with Hafiz, leading to complications.

The second narrative begins with Major Farooq’s conspiracy to assassinate Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Farooq and Major Rashid involve General Ziaur Rahman and General Osmany in the plot. The novel details the events of the assassination, including the military coup, the killing of four national leaders in prison, the revolution led by Colonel Taher, the freedom of Ziaur Rahman, his rise to power, the killings of Khaleed Mosharraf and Colonel Huda, and the eventual hanging of Colonel Taher.

In the portrayal of these tragic events in our national history, there was a need for more depth and analysis, which the book does not provide. The book mentions the shortage of clothing and the public’s anger and hatred toward the guard force during Bangabandhu’s rule. Despite calling Sheikh Mujib the Father of the Nation, the writer does not show much sympathy toward him after his death. The public response to his assassination, especially the joy in some places, leaves the writer bewildered.

Avanti’s teacher, Shafiq—who is described as cowardly—publicly calls for justice for the killing of Mujib, is arrested, and suffers. The book portrays figures such as Khondokar Moshtaq as comic characters and praises the bravery of Khaled Mosharraf and Colonel Taher.

The novel also depicts Ziaur Rahman’s financial integrity and his respect among the people, but it mentions his ambition for power, quoting official data showing that over 1,100 soldiers and officers were sentenced to death by military tribunals formed by him. The writer speculates that the death of Ziaur Rahman at the hands of his former ally General Manzur may have been influenced by Manzur’s “beautiful wife.”

“A novel is a novel, not history,” as Bankim Chandra once said. However, in a historical novel, the essential truth of history should remain intact, and even in fictional narratives, the cause-and-effect relationships must be explained.

Conclusion:

At the beginning of দেয়াল, Humayun Ahmed refers to himself in the first person, but toward the end, he shifts to the third person. Many readers are unaware of the fact that, as a martyr family member, Humayun’s family was allocated a government house in Dhaka, which was later seized by a member of the Guard Force, resulting in their eviction and humiliation. Humayun was pressured to join the Baksal and nearly did so, but ultimately avoided it.

These personal experiences influenced his portrayal of the characters and events in the novel. In the first narrative, we find the familiar traits of Humayun Ahmed: whimsical characters, conflict in dialogue, sudden events, and a mysterious sense of purpose. In the second, historical narrative, Humayun consulted books and legal documents to substantiate the story, though some factual inaccuracies remain. The book concludes with the assassination of Ziaur Rahman, after jumping six years ahead in time.

Even with these shortcomings, দেয়াল will, like his other books, receive recognition and admiration from readers.

Anisuzzaman Department of Bangla, University of Dhaka