Tahmid Ehsan
I write Inkwell — a slow notebook of the books I read and the city I keep walking through. Most of it is set down by hand, in the early grey hours, before the day asks anything of me.
The long version
I was born in Wari and have never quite managed to leave Dhaka, though I have tried. By day I write software for a small product team; by night, and most early mornings, I write Inkwell.
I studied literature at Dhaka University before drifting into engineering, and I have never fully chosen between the two. Inkwell is where the choice stays unresolved on purpose. It is a place for the things that don't fit neatly into either life — a marginal note from a novel, a half-finished program, an overheard sentence on a rickshaw.
I write about Bengali fiction, the craft of small software, monsoon walks, and the ordinary grammar of a city that refuses to sit still long enough to be described. I am suspicious of speed and fond of footnotes. Most of what I publish here is older than it looks, having sat in a drawer until it stopped embarrassing me.
If you have read this far, we are probably the same kind of person — the kind who reads the about page. Thank you for that. Stay a while; the kettle is always on.
What I write about
Books
Bengali fiction, slow rereadings, translations, and the marginalia of a lifelong reader.
Tech
The craft of small software, written by hand for an audience of one — and why that matters.
City Life
Monsoon walks, rickshaw bells, and the ordinary grammar of a Dhaka that refuses to sit still.
Say hello
I read everything, and I answer most of it eventually. For commissions, corrections, or a book recommendation I haven't asked for, write to me directly.
tahmid@inkwell.loom.bd