Rabeya Khatun (27 December 1935 – 3 January 2021) was a Bangladeshi novelist. She wrote over 50 novels and more than 400 short stories. Her works also include essays, research, religious history and travelogues. She was awarded

Bangla Academy Literary Award The Bangla Academy Literary Award ( bn, বাংলা একাডেমি সাহিত্য পুরস্কার; ''Bangla Academy Shahitya Puroshkar''), is given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh in recognition of creative genius i ...

in 1973, Ekushey Padak in 1993 and Independence Day Award in 2017 by the

Government of Bangladesh The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...

. Khatun died of cardiac arrest on 3 January 2021 at her residence in Gulshan,

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

Early life and education

Khatun was born on 27 December 1935 to Maulavi Mohammad Mulluk Chand and Hamida Khatun in Bikrampur in the then

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

(now in

Munshiganj District Munshiganj ( bn, মুন্সীগঞ্জ), also historically known as Bikrampur, is a district in central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division and borders Dhaka District. Geography Total land area is 235974 acres (954 km2), ...

, Bangladesh). She was the second of their three children. Khatun grew up in the Shantinagar area in

. She passed the

entrance examination An entrance examination is an examination that educational institutions conduct to select prospective students for admission. It may be held at any stage of education, from primary to tertiary, even though it is typically held at tertiary stage. ...

from Armanitola School in 1948. On 23 July 1952, she married Fazlul Haque (1930–1990). He was the editor of the ''Cinema'' magazine. He directed ''President'', the first film for children in Bangladesh.

Career

Khatun worked at ''Khawatin'' magazine, edited by

Jahanara Imam Jahanara Imam (3 May 1929 – 26 June 1994) was a Bangladeshi writer and political activist. She is known for her efforts to bring those accused of committing war crimes in the Bangladesh Liberation War to trial. She has been called "Shaheed Ja ...

. She then worked as the editor of the literature section of the magazine ''Cinema'' along with

Zahir Raihan Mohammad Zahirullah (19 August 1935 – disappeared 30 January 1972), known as Zahir Raihan, was a Bangladeshi novelist, writer and filmmaker. He is most notable for his documentary ''Stop Genocide'' (1971), made during the Bangladesh Liberation ...

. Later she became the editor of the monthly ''Angana''. Khatun was a council member of Bangla Academy. She was a member of the jury board of

Bangladesh National Film Awards The National Film Awards ( bn, জাতীয় চলচ্চিত্র পুরস্কার) is an annual awards ceremony held annually in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is considered to be the most prominent film award ceremony in Banglades ...

Bangladesh Shishu Academy Bangladesh Shishu Academy ( bn, বাংলাদেশ শিশু একাডেমি) is the national academy for children in Bangladesh. It was established in 1976 for promoting cultural development of children, and nurturing their tale ...

, ''

Notun Kuri ''Notun Kuri'' ( bn, নতুন কুঁড়ি, lit=New Bud) is a Bangladeshi reality television competition series for child artistes created by Mustafa Monwar. The show debuted in 1966 which ran on Pakistan Television from 1966 to 1971. Af ...

'' of Bangladesh Television.

Works

Khatun's first story ''Prashno'' was published in the weekly ''Juger Dabi''. Her novel ''Rajarbagh'' was published in '' Begum''. She wrote her first novel ''Madhumati'' in 1963. She wrote about the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

in her book ''Ekattorer Noy Maash'' in 1990. Two of her novels, ''Nirasraya'' and ''Biday O Ashok Reba'', have never been published.

Novels

* ''Madhumati'' (1963) * ''Mon Ek Shwet Kapoti'' (''Mind is a White Pigeon'', 1965) * ''Ononto Onwesha'' (''Endless Pursuit'', 1967) * ''Rajarbagh'' (1967) * ''Saheb Bazar'' (1967) * ''Ferari Surjo'' (''Fugitive Sun'', 1975) * ''Onek Joner Ekjan'' (''One of Many Persons'', 1976) * ''Jiboner Ar Ek Naam Dibos Rojoni'' (''Another Name of Life is Day and Night'', 1980) * ''Bayanno Golir Ek Goli'' (''One of Fifty Two Alleys'', 1984) * ''Baganer Naam Malnichara'' (''Name of the Garden is Malnichara'') * ''Ei Birohokal'' (''This Time of Separation'', 1995) * ''Ei Bhora Bador Mah Bhador'' (''This Rainy Day of the Month of Bhadra'', 1995) * ''Priya Gulshana'' (''Beloved Gulshana'', 1997)

Adaptations

Khatun's book-to-film adaptations include ''

Kokhono Megh Kokhono Brishti ''Kokhono Megh Kokhono Brishti'' ( bn, কখনো মেঘ কখনো বৃষ্টি) is a 2003 Bangladeshi film directed by actress Moushumi. It is the first film she directed. It stars Moushumi, Ferdous, Razzak, Bobita, Humayun Farid ...

'' (2003), '' Megher Pore Megh'' (2004) and ''Madhumati'' (2011).

Personal life

Khatun lived in Banani, a residential area in

. She had two sons and two daughters —

Faridur Reza Sagar Faridur Reza Sagar (born 22 February 1955) is a Bangladeshi writer and film producer. He is also the managing director of Impress Telefilm Ltd and Channel i. He was awarded the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2005 and Ekushey Padak in 2015 b ...

(b. 1955) is the current managing director of

Impress Telefilm Limited Impress Telefilm Limited is a media production house in Bangladesh formed in 2003. The company produces film, drama, and drama serials, music videos, variety shows, magazine programmes, musical programmes and documentaries as well as TV commercia ...

and Channel i;

Keka Ferdousi Keka Ferdousi (born 4 August 1960) is a Bangladeshi television chef and author. Early life Ferdousi was born on 4 August 1960, in Dhaka to Fazlul Haque, a film producer, and Rabeya Khatun, an author. Her brother Faridur Reza Sagar is a film pr ...

(b. 1960) is a television chef; Farhadur Reza Probal is an architect; and Farhana Kakoly.

Awards

(1973) * Humayun Kadir Memorial Award (1989) * Ekushey Padak (1993) * Kamar Mushtaree Shahitya Puroshkar (1994) * Lekhika Sangha Award (1994) * Nasiruddin Gold Medal (1995) * Shere-e Bangla Gold Medal (1996) * Jasimuddin Award (1996) * Shapla-Doyel Award (1996) * Wrishiz Shahitya Padak (1998) *

Anannya Literature Award Anannya Literature Award ( bn, অনন্যা সাহিত্য পুরস্কার) is the prize for women in Bangladesh recognition of contribution to the field of literature by Anannya (magazine), Anannya Magazine in every Bengal ...

(1999) * Laila Samad Award (1999) * Millennium Award (2000) * Sheltech Award (2002) * Uro Shishu Shahitya Award (2003) * Michael Madhusudan Award (2005) * Gettanjali Shommanona Padak (2015) * Independence Day Award (2017)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Khatun, Rabeya 1935 births 2021 deaths People from Bikrampur Bangladeshi short story writers Bangladeshi women novelists Bangladeshi women writers Recipients of Bangla Academy Award Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Recipients of the Independence Day Award