Ecological Consciousness in Postcolonial Bangladesh: Ahmed Sofa’s Reading Tales of Flowers, Trees and Birds

Abstract

Tales of Flowers, Trees, and Birds is a novel by Ahmed Sofa that explores the symbiosis between the human world and the natural environment, drawing from the writer’s personal experiences. The novel responds to pressing questions about the environmental crisis and proposes a mature philosophy of mutual respect that could greatly benefit Mother Earth. Sofa, deeply connected with nature and passionate about history, possessed a clear understanding of contemporary global events. His compassion for the nurturing elements of the environment is evident throughout his writing. But in a way, a delicate soul like his could not ignore the kind of carnage brought about by some material-driven world that was ravaging earth after industrialization with its indiscriminate felling of forests and the forgetting of natural harmony. The resulting imbalance leaves humanity in a state of confusion, unable to determine the path to prosperity. In this novel, Sofa ambitiously constructs a saga that explores the natural world in multiple dimensions while remaining conscious of the negative forces of modernity. In particular, this paper does a close reading of the text, drawing on existing scholarship while exploring how Sofa goes beyond creating a simple human-nature common ground to one that is productive for both humanity and nature.