Black Ice

First published in 1977, Black Ice is regarded as an important work by Bangladeshi novelist Mahmudul Haque. Through Abdul Khaleq's memories and troubled relationship with his wife Rekha, the novel examines personal loss alongside the wider social tensions of Partition-era Bengal.

Mahmudul Haque was a prominent Bangladeshi prose writer and the author of ten novels and numerous short stories. He spent his childhood in Barasat near Kolkata and later lived in Dhaka.

Abdul Khaleq is asked to write about his childhood, prompting him to revisit memories of life near Calcutta, his first love and the people who shaped his early years. Memories of Hindu-Muslim tensions and Partition disturb his present life and deepen the conflict with his wife, Rekha. A boat journey with Dr Narhari brings the couple face to face with their relationship and Abdul's unresolved sense of alienation.