Abu Jafar Shamsuddin (12 March 1911 – 24 August 1988) was a Bangladeshi writer. He was the recipient of
Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1968 and
Ekushey Padak
Ekushey Padak ( bn, একুশে পদক; lit. "Twentyfirst Award") is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contribut ...
in 1983.
Early life and education
Shamsuddin was born on 12 March 1911, to a
Bengali Muslim
Bengali Muslims ( bn, বাঙালি মুসলমান; ) are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising about two-thirds of the global Bengali population, they are the sec ...
family of
Bhuiyan
Bhuiyan (also Bhuiya, Bhuyan, Bhuya) is a surname found in Bangladesh and in India, especially in Assam.
Etymology
Bhuiyan was a title used to refer to a landlord or chieftain. It originates from the Sanskrit word, Bhumi, meaning 'land'.
Histo ...
s in the village of Dakshinbagh,
Gazipur District
Gazipur ( bn, গাজীপুর) is a district in central Bangladesh, part of the Dhaka Division. It has an area of 1741.53 km2. It is the home district of Tajuddin Ahmad, the first Prime Minister of Bangladesh and has been a prominent c ...
, eastern
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
. His father, Muhammad Waqqas Ali Bhuiyan, was the son of Nadiruzzaman Bhuiyan, a disciple of
Karamat Ali Jaunpuri
Karāmat ʿAlī Jaunpūrī ( ur, , bn, কারামত আলী জৌনপুরী; 12 June 1800 – 30 May 1873), born as Muḥammad ʿAlī Jaunpūrī, was a nineteenth-century Indian Muslim social reformer and founder of the Taiyuni ...
. He started his education in a village school, and in 1924 he completed his junior madrasah examination. In 1929, he completed his high madrasah examination. He joined
Dhaka College
Dhaka College ( bn, ঢাকা কলেজ also known as DC) is the oldest secular educational institution of Bangladesh located in Dhaka. It offers higher secondary education ( HSC). It has Honours and Masters programs as well which are aff ...
but did not graduate.
Career
Shamsuddin joined the Daily Soltan as a sub-editor. He joined the political party of
M. N. Roy
Manabendra Nath Roy (born Narendra Nath Bhattacharya, better known as M. N. Roy; 21 March 1887 – 25 January 1954) was an Indian revolutionary, radical activist and political theorist, as well as a noted philosopher in the 20th century. Roy ...
, Radical Democratic Party. He went on to work as
The Azad
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
,
The Daily Ittefaq
''The Daily Ittefaq'' ( bn, দৈনিক ইত্তেফাক, translit. ''Doinik Ittefak'') is a Bengali-language daily newspaper. Founded in 1953, it is the oldest newspaper, and one of the most circulated newspapers in Bangladesh. Thi ...
, Purbadesh and The Daily Sangbad. He wrote Baihasiker Parshvachinta, a weekly column. In 1957, he joined the
National Awami Party
The National Awami Party (NAP), translated from Urdu to English as National People's Party, was the major left-wing political party in East and West Pakistan. It was founded in 1957 in Dhaka, erstwhile East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh), by A ...
. He used the pseudonym ''Alpadarshi''. He served as an assistant translator of the
Bangla Academy
The Bangla Academy ( bn, বাংলা একাডেমি, ) is an autonomous institution funded by the Bangladesh government to foster the Bengali language, literature and culture, to develop and implement national language policy and to d ...
from 1961 to 1972.
[
]
Works
Novels
* ''Parityakto Swami'' (The Forsaken Husband, 1947)
* ''Mukti'' (Freedom, 1948)
* ''Bhaowal Gorer Upakhyan'' (The Stories of Bhaowal Gore, 1963)
* ''Padma Meghna Jamuna'' (1974)
*'' Sangkar Songkirton'' (Mixed Celebration, 1980)
* ''Proponcho'' (Manifestation, 1980)
* ''Deyal'' (Wall, 1985).
Award
* Bangla Academy Literary Award (1968)
*Ekushey Padak
Ekushey Padak ( bn, একুশে পদক; lit. "Twentyfirst Award") is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contribut ...
(1983)
*Samakal Literary Award (1979)
*Muktadhara Literary Award (1986)
References
1911 births
1988 deaths
Bangladeshi male writers
Bengali-language writers
Recipients of the Ekushey Padak
Recipients of Bangla Academy Award
People from Gazipur District
20th-century Bengalis
{{Bangladesh-writer-stub