Humayun Ahmed

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Humayun Ahmed bigraphy, stories - Author, dramatist and film director

Humayun Ahmed : biography

13 November 1948 – 19 July 2012

Humayun Ahmed ( 13 November 1948 – 19 July 2012) was a Bangladeshi author, dramatist, screenwriter, playwright and filmmaker. Dawn referred to him as the cultural legend of Bangladesh. Humayun reached peak of his fame with the publication of his novel Nondito Noroke (In Blissful Hell) in 1972, which remains one of his most famous works,http://www.daily-sun.com/details_yes_04-09-2012_Nondito-Noroke_251_1_19_1_1.html winning admiration from literary critics, including Dr. Ahmed Sarif. He wrote over 200 fiction and non-fiction books, all of which were bestsellers in Bangladesh.http://www.newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2012-07-27&nid=18495#.UVUa4xwWLUU In recognition to the works of Humayun, Times of India wrote Humayun was a custodian of the Bangladeshi literary culture whose contribution single-handedly shifted the capital of Bengali literature from Kolkata to Dhaka without any war or revolution.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/contributors/contributions/rashidul-bari/Tears-for-Humayun-Ahmed-The-Shakespeare-of-Bangladesh/articleshow/15515838.cms Ahmed’s writing style was characterized as magic realism.Faizul Latif Chowdhury (2007), Review of Lilaboti, Prothom Alo, Dhaka. Sunil Ganguly described him as the most popular writer in the Bengali language for a century http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18930073 and according to him, Ahmed was even more popular than Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.http://web.archive.org/web/20120825092915/http://www.theindependentbd.com/paper-edition/frontpage/129-frontpage/122280-end-of-a-new-era-in-bengali-literature.html Ahmed’s books have been the top sellers at the Ekushey Book Fair during the 1990s and 2000s.

Career

Television and film

His first television drama was "Prothom Prohor" (first moment) in 1983, directed by Nawazesh Ali Khan. His first drama serial was Ei Shob Din Ratri (Tale of our daily lives). It was followed by the comedy series Bohubrihi, the historical drama series Ayomoy, and the urban drama series Kothao Keu Nei (There is no one in anywhere). The last one featured a fictional character of an idealistic gang leader named Baker Bhai, who was wrongly convicted and executed.

Ahmed directed films based on his own stories. His first film, "Aguner Parashmoni", based on the liberation war, won the National Film Award in total eight categories, including Best Picture and Best Director. The theme of the Liberation War often came across in his stories, often drawing upon Ahmed’s memories of that war and his father’s execution during the war. Ahmed’s film Shyamal Chhaya was based on the liberation war of 1971..

Ahmed also wrote songs for few of his own films and plays. Some of the notables are titled as Ami Aaj Bhejabo Chokh Somudrer Joley, Chadni Poshor Ratey and Amaaar Achey Jol.

His 2012 film Ghetuputra Kamola was selected as the Bangladeshi entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist.

In 2012 he was appointed as a special adviser to the Bangladesh Mission in the United Nations.

Awards

  • Lekhak Shibir Prize (1973)
  • Bangla Academy Award (1981)
  • Shishu Academy Award
  • Jainul Abedin Gold Medal
  • Michael Madhusudan Medal (1987)
  • Bacsas Prize (1988)
  • Humayun Qadir Memorial Prize (1990)
  • National Film Award (Best Story 1993, Best Film 1994, Best Dialogue 1994)
  • Ekushey Padak (1994)
  • ShelTech Award (2007)

Biography

Early life

Humayun Ahmed was born in Mohongonj, Netrokona, but his village home is Kutubpur, Mymensingh,Earlier Netrokona was a sub-division of Mymensingh district. Bangladesh (then East Pakistan). His father, Faizur Rahman Ahmed, a police officer and writer, was killed by Pakistani military during the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971, and his mother is Ayesha Foyez. Humayun’s younger brother, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, a university professor, is also a writer of mostly science fiction genre and a newspaper columnist. Another brother, Ahsan Habib, is a painter and the editor of Unmad, a cartoon magazine.