The Mercenary

Moinul Ahsan Saber

Translated by Shabnam Nadiya

Forthcoming

 

5.5 x 8 inches, 160pp. April 2018

ISBN : 9780857425003

Rs  499.00 (PB)
$21.50 (PB)
£14.99 (PB)

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Moinul Ahsan Saber tells the story of Kobej Lethel, a ruthless soldier of fortune employed by a corrupt village chief. Lethel has never had a problem with the job before: he gets an assignment and handles it, even if that entails violence. But during Bangaldesh's War of Independence, the chief sides with the Pakistani army as it carries out unspeakable atrocities. Suddenly, Lethel can no longer accept his role—he refuses, and rebels. But the transformation proves temporary: by the end of the war, he's back to his old ways, fighting for nothing more than a pay cheque, on nothing more than an order.

 

A powerful novel of war, history and the deadly draw of violence, The Mercenary is an unforgettable look into the mind of a man who cannot escape the killing that has become his occupation.

Moinul Ahasan Saber is one of Bangladesh's leading fiction writers, with a literary career spanning over three decades. He has writtern numerous novels and stories, including works for children. Saber's work has received, among others, the Phillips Literary Award, Bapi Shahriar Children's Award and Bangla Academy Award. 

 

Shabnam Nadiya is a writer and translator from Bangladesh. Her work has appeared in Flash Fiction International, Law and Disorder: Stories of Conflict and Crime, One World and journals such as Amazon's Day One, Wasafiri, Words without Borders and Gulf Coast.

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