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Updated 26 Apr, 2017

Kasem bin Abubakar was told nobody would buy his chaste romance novels about devout young Muslims finding love within the strict moral confines of Bangladeshi society.

And yet his tales of lovers whispering sweet nothings sold millions in the 1980s and proved a huge hit among young girls from Bangladesh's rural, conservative heartland.

Now his work is undergoing something of a renaissance as Bangladesh slides from the moderate Islam worshipped for generations to a more conservative interpretation of the scriptures.

Abubakar was an unlikely hit among readers who were earlier reading more modern romance novels about the love lives of elite Bangladeshis
Abubakar was an unlikely hit among readers who were earlier reading more modern romance novels about the love lives of elite Bangladeshis

"Girls write me love letters with ink dipped in their own blood. Some were desperate to marry me," Abubakar told AFP, recounting his surprise at young women making a traditional gesture of intense devotion to a greying author.

His debut novel Futonto Golap (Blossomed Rose), written more than three decades ago, has spawned an entire genre of fiction tinged with Islamic values.

Abubakar wrote "The Blossomed Rose" -- a story about two mismatched young Muslims seeking consent for marriage from their families -- by hand in 1978, but it took almost a decade for a publisher to even look at it. Now it is a bestseller.

Abubakar was inspired to take up the pen in the late 1970s, when as a bookseller he lamented that most novels obsessed with the cosmopolitan lifestyles of modern, elite Bangladeshis.

These secular tales were a world removed from the largely rural and pious village existence lived by the majority of Bangladesh's 160 million people, and Abubakar sensed a gap in the market ripe for his fiction.

'Mullah novels don't sell'

"He tapped into a new readership that nobody thought existed before," said Bangladeshi journalist Qadaruddin Shishir.

"In rural villages, Abubakar's novels are the best gift a young lover can give to his fiancee."

Abubakar wrote The Blossomed Rose -- a story about two mismatched young Muslims seeking consent for marriage from their families -- by hand in 1978, but it took almost a decade for a publisher to even look at it.

"They told me 'mullah novels' don't sell," he said.

'Futonto Golap' (or The Blossomed Rose) was Abubakar's debut novel
'Futonto Golap' (or The Blossomed Rose) was Abubakar's debut novel

Eventually he sold the copyright to a publisher for a mere 1,000 Taka (USD$12.50), and became an overnight sensation.

Since his breakthrough, Abubakar has written dozens of works, most revolving around the mosque, veiled women and wayward youth abandoning so-called corrupt lifestyles after finding religion.

Secular activists fear creeping conservatism could unwind many of the gains made by the impoverished nation in improving school attendance and gender equality.

An ever-increasing number of students attend madrassas, or religious boarding schools, in Bangladesh, where Abubakar's books have found "become a favourite", said fellow author Syed Mazharul Parvez.

"They can relate to these stories and are comfortable with the settings and language their protagonists speak," he said.

Inspiring new writers

Abubakar has inspired a new generation of Bangladeshi writers who are finding success with their own contemporary brand of moralist fiction.

Popular writers like Abdus Salam Mitul, Kawser Ahmed and Abdul Alim echoed Abubakar in their own tales of "piety, conservative attitudes and decency", said Abubakar's son Mohammad Saifullah, a Dhaka-based publisher.

Mitul in particular shot to fame in the 2000s with his own story about a burqa-clad girl reminiscent of Abubakar's breakthrough The Blossomed Rose.

"I think a lot of people still think it was written by my father. But it was Mitul's work and it sold tens of thousands of copies," Saifullah joked.

Many Bangladeshi writers were inspired from Abubakar's works
Many Bangladeshi writers were inspired from Abubakar's works

Aspiring author Abdul Alim said Abubakar's works had motivated his own plotlines -- moral tales that in the end showed "Islam has answers" for society's ills.

"He is such a talented story teller. He showed us the way," Alim said of Abubakar.

For Abubakar, his fans keep him busy even two years into retirement. At a bookstore recently the octogenarian signed autographs for his readers, many women in full-face veils clutching his titles.

The fan mail keeps the postman busy, too. Apart from the marriage proposals and overtures of love, Abubakar has received confessions from corrupt bureaucrats thanking him for steering them down the honest path, he said.

"Everyday the postman would arrive with hundreds of letters. He became a permanent member of our family," Abubakar said.

Comments

sripy Apr 26, 2017 01:10pm
Title sounds nice.The Blossomed Rose.
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Orion Apr 26, 2017 01:25pm
Amazing
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Rkhan Apr 26, 2017 02:58pm
Thanks DAWN for covering Little known Bangladesh novelists and writers.. book titled 'The blossomed roses' is worth reading if found in translated version.
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riz Apr 26, 2017 03:14pm
I really like to hear more stories from Bangladesh please,,
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Desh bandhu Chopra Apr 26, 2017 03:23pm
It is the sign of a born writer. Please carry on, Mr. Abubakar.
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ABE Apr 26, 2017 03:25pm
Love is ageless, timeless and priceless.
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Reza Apr 27, 2017 02:04am
Being an expatriate Bangladeshi, I found the story very inspiring and up lifting. In Bangladesh, the doyen of contemporary Bangladeshi novelist is late Humayun Ahmed whose stories are immensely popular in urban class. This new genre of rural life based conservative novelists are a new addition to rich Bangla literature. Their contribution will motivate and influence the minds of young generation to a life based on peaceful Islam and might create a shield against radicalism. Salute to the writer and the Dawn for such a memorable write up. I always find the quality of writing and editorial direction of Dawn is peerless compared to Bangladeshi and Indian news paper. KEEP IT UP.
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MMKhan Apr 27, 2017 09:04am
Never heard of him but very inspiring to keep the youngsters engaged in reading books with values and morals that keeps them away from many evils thoughts and practices. Thanks Dawn for sharing!
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Subha Apr 27, 2017 10:25am
The taste of readers matters the most for a book to be highly sold or not. Sometime authors are responsible for enhancing the taste of readers. Late Humayun Ahmed (Bangladesh) was such gifted novelist, who elevated the taste of Bengali readers. However, it's also true that fast-food sales more than healthy food!!!
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Dr. K B Huzen Apr 27, 2017 01:49pm
Amazing
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