Rahat Khan (19 December 1940 – 28 August 2020) was a Bangladeshi journalist and litterateur. He wrote more than 32 novels. He won

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 and Ekushey Padak in 1996 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 ...

Early life

Khan was born on 19 December 1940 in

Kishoreganj Kishoreganj is a city and the headquarters of Kishoreganj District Kishoreganj ( bn, কিশোরগঞ্জ) is a district in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. Earlier it was a Mohkuma (মহকুমা) under the Mymensingh district. It ...

. He wrote his first story as a student in class three. In his words, "One day a kite pounced on a small tortoise before our eyes. The event shocked me very much and made me tearful. I don't know why but I wrote a story on it and thus my authorial life began." Khan completed a degree in economics and philosophy at

Ananda Mohan College Government Ananda Mohan College is a higher secondary school and National University, Bangladesh affiliated college in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. One of the oldest educational premises in South Asia, the institute was established in 1883 by Anand ...

. He earned his MA from the Department of Bangla Language and Literature at 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 1961. For the next eight years he taught Bangla at various colleges, including

Jagannath College Jagannath University (JnU) ( bn, জগন্নাথ বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় ''Jagannātha biśbabidyālaẏa'', University Acrostic : জবি or JnU) is a state-funded public university at 9–10, Chittaranjan Avenue in Sa ...

in Dhaka.

Career

In 1969, Khan joined the Bangla-language daily newspaper '' The Daily Ittefaq'' as assistant editor. He would spend over four decades at the paper, eventually becoming its editor. In 1972, Khan published his first collection of short stories, ''Onischito Lokaloy'' (''Uncertain Human Habitation''). The following year he received the

for his short stories. He produced further volumes: ''Ontohin Jatra'' (''The Eternal Journey''), ''Bhalo Monder Taka'' (''Money for Good and Evil''), and in 1983, ''Apel Songbad'' (''News of the Apple''). In the early 1980s he published his debut novel, ''Omol Dhobol Chakri'' (''Milk-White Service''). He continued writing novels into the 1990s. After leaving ''Ittefaq'', Khan served as an advisory editor of ''Dainik Bartoman'' and served on the board of directors of the national news agency, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). In March 2016, he was appointed to a -year term as chairman of the board of BSS.

Themes

The middle and upper class life observed in his novels comes out of urban

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 ...

society, while novels such as ''Omol Dhobol Chakri'' explore village life. Khan also considered Ekushe February and the

Bangladeshi 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 works such as ''Hey Matoh Bong'' and ''Hey Mohasunyota''.

Novels

* ''Omol Dhobol Chakuri'' (''Milk-White Service'', 1982) * ''Ek Priyodorshini'' (''A Beautiful Woman'', 1983) * ''Chayadompoti'' (''A Shadow Couple'', 1984) * ''Sangharsha'' (''Clash'', 1984) * ''Shahar'' (''The City'', 1984) * ''Hey Onanter Pakhi'' (''O, Bird of Infinity'', 1989) * ''Modhyomather Khelowar'' (''The Forward Footballer'', 1991) * ''Akhanksha'' (''Desire'') * ''Kayekjan'' (''A Few Persons'') * ''Ognidaho'' (''Conflagration'')

Awards

(1973) in the short story category * Sufi Motahar Hossain Award (1979) * Mahbubullah Zebunnesa Trust Award (1979) * Abul Mansur Memorial Award (1980) * Humayun Qadir Memorial Award (1982) * Shuhrid Literary Award (1975) * Trayi Literary Award (1988) * Cetana Literary Award (1989) * Ekushey Padak (1996)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Rahat 1940 births 2020 deaths People from Kishoreganj District Academic staff of Jagannath University Bengali novelists Bangladeshi male novelists Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Recipients of Bangla Academy Award