Akhteruzzaman Elias (12 February 1943 – 4 January 1997) (Bengali: আখতারুজ্জামান ইলিয়াস) was a Bangladeshi novelist and short story writer.
Despite writing only two novels, critics place Elias "in the pantheon of great
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 ...
i novelists".
Elias "emerged as a powerful short-story writer"
in 1960s, and published his first novel, ''Chile Kotar Sepai'' in 1987 and his second and last ''Khowabnama'' in 1996 shortly before his death from cancer on 4 January 1997.
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Early life and education
Elias was born at his maternal uncle's home in Gotia village in Gaibandha District.[ His paternal home was in Chelopara, near ]Bogra
Bogra ( bn, বগুড়া), officially known as Bogura, is a major city located in Bogra District, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. The city is a major commercial hub in Northern Bangladesh. It is the second largest city in Rajshahi Divi ...
. His father, Badiuzzaman Muhammad Elias, was a member of the East Bengal Provincial Assembly and Parliamentary Secretary of the Muslim League.[ Elias' mother's name was Mariam Elias.
Elias completed his ]Matriculation
Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination.
Australia
In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...
from Bogra Zilla School
Bogra Zilla School ( bn, বগুড়া জিলা স্কুল) is one of the oldest high schools in the Bogra District of Bangladesh and one of the top-ranked schools in the country. It provides education from class three (Grade-3) to c ...
in 1958, Intermediate from 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 ...
in 1960, and BA (Hons) and MA from the University of Dhaka
The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...
in 1964.
Career
Elias started his career as a lecturer at Jagannath College and worked there till 1983.[ He also worked subsequently as Deputy Director, Directorate of Primary Education, Vice-Principal of Music College, and Professor and Head of the Department of Bengali at Dhaka College.][
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Death
On 13 of January, 1996, Akhteruzzaman Elias was diagnosed of cancer. Delayed identification of the disease caused his situation to deteriorate. On 20 March of the same year, his right leg, affected by cancer, had to be cut off from his body. Suffering for a few days, he finally breathed his last breath on 4 January 1997 in Dhaka Community Hospital, Dhaka.
Works
Elias is said to not have focused on the quantity of his literary output, rather on the quality. His literary work includes themes such as the country's history, heritage, culture, politics, economics, poverty, exploitation, and deprivation. He is said to have tried to comprehend human life as a whole through these themes. Elias has been praised on his ability to portray subtle mental tendencies.
Below are listed his notable works.
Novels
*''Chilekothar Sepai /চিলেকোঠার সেপাই'' (The Soldier in the Attic) (1987) - details the psychological journey of a man during the turbulent period of the mass uprisings of 1969, just prior to Bangladeshi independence in 1971. This novel also contains what is arguably the most authentic description of life in ''Puran Dhaka'', the old and distinctive part of Dhaka.
*''Khoabnama/খোয়াবনামা'' (The Saga of Dreams) (1996) - Khoabnama depicts the socio-political scene in rural pre-partition
Partition may refer to:
Computing Hardware
* Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive
* Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job
Software
* Partition (database), the division of a ...
Bangladesh.
Short story collections
*''Dojokher Om/ দোজখের ওম'' (The Warmth of Hell)
* ''Dudhbhate Utpat/'' ''দুধভাতে উৎপাত'' (No Peace in Milk and Rice)
* ''Onno Ghore Onno Shor/ অন্য ঘরে অন্য স্বর'' (Another Tune in Another Room)
* ''Khoari/ খোয়ারি'' (Hangover)
* ''Jal Shopno, Shopner Jal/ জাল স্বপ্ন, স্বপ্নের জাল'' (Fake Dream, Illusion of Dream)
Essay collections
* ''Shongskritir Bhanga Shetu/ সংস্কৃতির ভাঙা সেতু'' (Broken Bridge of Culture)
Awards
* 1977 : Humayun Kabir Smrti Puraskar
* 1983 : Bangla Academy Literary Award in Literature
* 1987 : Alaol Sahitya Puraskar - ''Chilekothar Sepai''
* 1996 : Ananda Puraskar
The Ananda Puraskar () is an award for Bengali literature awarded annually by the ABP Group to writers using Bengali, usually from West Bengal, India.
History
The award can be traced to a comment by Annada Shankar Ray ruing the absence of lit ...
- ''Khwabnama''
* 1996 : Saadat Ali Akhand Puraskar - ''Khwabnama''
* 1996 : Kazi Mahbubullah Gold Medal - ''Khwabnama''
* 1999 : 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 ...
(posthumous)
References
External links
Akhtaruzzaman Elias Intermingles Dreams, Myths and Realities
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elias, Akhteruzzaman
Bengali-language writers
Bengali novelists
Bangladeshi male novelists
1943 births
1997 deaths
Dhaka College faculty
Dhaka College alumni
University of Dhaka alumni
Recipients of Bangla Academy Award
Recipients of the Ananda Purashkar
Recipients of the Ekushey Padak
20th-century novelists
People from Bogra District
20th-century Bangladeshi male writers
People from Gaibandha District
Magic realism writers