Elizabethtown College Director of the Bowers Writers House and Community Impact Jesse Waters recently edited and translated selected poems from activist Taslima Nasrin in a newly published book, “Burning Roses in My Garden,” which is now available through Penguin Publishers.
“I very much hope that people from all over the world and all walks of life are able to have an experience with this poetry,” Waters said. “Nasrin is a tireless individual who has worked so hard to support millions of women all around the world, and we hope this book contributes to that effort.”
This is the first time Nasrin’s collected poetry has been fully translated from the original Bangla, the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh, into English, and represents more than 180 pages of her poetry.
Nasrin is a significant humanitarian fighting for women’s rights around the world, particularly focused on women suffering under religious orthodoxy. She was forced to flee Bangladesh in 1994 after calling for the abolition of the Sharia, Islamic religious law, which caused violent protests calling for her death.
Waters has known Nasrin for nearly 15 years and was asked to translate and edit this collection of poetry around seven years ago.
“It feels amazing to have this finally out into the world,” Waters said. “This is a brave book, and her poetry reveals her inner fortitude and strength. Hers is a voice of power and hope, which I believe people all over the world should have an opportunity to hear.”
The two had previously worked together on another publication that was released in April 2022 when Waters wrote the introduction to, “Taslima Unbound: Writings on Feminism, Secularism, and Human Rights.” The book served as an anthology of her works.
