'La Madre a masterpiece in Italian literature'

Italian Ambassador to Dhaka Itala Ochhi speaks at a book launching ceremony at the National Press Club in the city yesterday.Photo: STAR

Asian Cultural Federation, an interracial cultural organisation, launched the Bangla version of the Nobel-winning Italian novel titled 'La Madre' of famous Italian writer Grazia Deledda in the city yesterday.
Italian Ambassador to Dhaka Itala Ochhi was present as the chief gust at the launching ceremony at the National Press Club with Dhaka University VC Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique in the chair.
Dr AH Khan and Syed Manzur Mushed, general secretary of the federation, translated the book into Bangla. The name of translated version is 'Maa' (Mother).
Organisers hoped that voracious readers would find a different view of fictions from the book centring the then society of Italian region Sardina.
The price of the book has been fixed at Tk 150 and would be available at the Asian Cultural Federation office, they added.
The novel La Madre won the Nobel prize in 1926, six years after it was written in 1920.
The Italian envoy termed the novel a masterpiece in the Italian literature, saying that the writer was a painter of nature.
Prof Arefin said the translation work would certainly help Bangladeshis living in Italy learn the Italian literature and enrich the translation literature in Bangladesh.
Prof ABM Farooq of Pharmaceutical Technology department also spoke.