Talking about the future of storytelling, popular novelist Imdadul Haq Milan said printed literature will survive longer if technology advances.
The former editor of Kaler Kantho was speaking during a session titled ‘Stories of the Future’ during the second day of the 10th Dhaka Lit Fest on Friday.
“Novels and stories are based on true stories, so people will read them with pleasure,” he said.
The session, moderated by Swakrito Noman, was held at Nazrul Mancha on the grounds of Bangla Academy.
Saeed Manzoor Islam, a Bangladeshi critic, author and former professor at the University of Dhaka, was also present as a panelist.
Responding to a question about why modern or future people still read novels, Syed Manzoor Islam said that there will be more changes to the story in the future.
“These days, with the predominance of visual media, we read less and watch more. Future novels will be written with that in mind, because people will be able to experience the words and relate to their lives,” he said.
The panelists noted that the elements and forms of language are constantly changing, saying that the world keeps changing and writers keep changing language accordingly.
Regionalism, urban dialects, jargon, they said, would all enter the literary narrative.
Discussant Syed Manzoorul Islam opined that society is more responsible than state machinery for not generating new readers.
According to him, in this case three things need to be emphasized: getting a proper education, motivating literary practice at home level, and ensuring a favorable environment for literature in educational institutions.
At the end of the session, the panelists praised the arrangement of the Dhaka Lit Fest and wished them success.
Furthermore, they expressed their hope that in the future an international level festival will be held in Bangladesh to introduce Bangladeshi literature and arts to the world.
