Shahid Quadri (also spelt Shaheed Quaderi; 14 August 1942 – 28 August 2016) was a Bangladeshi poet and writer. For his poetry, he 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 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 2011. His notable poems include ''"Uttoradhikar"'', ''"Tomake Obhibadon Priyotoma"'', ''"Kothao Kono Krondon Nei"'' and ''"Amar Chumbongulo Poucchey Dao"''.
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Early life and career
Qadri was born in Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
in 1942. He moved to 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 ...
when he was 10 years old.
Qadri is one of the prominent poets of post-1947 Bengali poetry
Bengali poetry is a rich tradition of poetry in the Bengali language and has many different forms. Originating in the Bengal region of South Asia, the history of Bengali poetry underwent three successive stages of development: poetry of the ear ...
, who brought a new angle to the Bangladeshi scene by introducing urbanism and a sense of modernity. His poetry is infused with patriotism, cosmopolitanism and universalism and in its treatment of nature and city life, it delves deep into the conflicts and the sense of alienation pervading modern life.
Though he published only four books of poetry, "his tone, alliteration
Alliteration is the conspicuous repetition of initial consonant sounds of nearby words in a phrase, often used as a literary device. A familiar example is "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers". Alliteration is used poetically in various ...
, images and the use of simile
A simile () is a figure of speech that directly ''compares'' two things. Similes differ from other metaphors by highlighting the similarities between two things using comparison words such as "like", "as", "so", or "than", while other metaphors cr ...
made him a unique contributor of Bengali verse."
Quadri became friends with poet Shamsur Rahman. At the age of fourteen, he was first published in ''Kabita
''Kabita'' is a 1977 Indian Bengali-language film directed by Bharat Shumsher, starring Mala Sinha in the lead role. The film is a remake of the Tamil classic film ''Aval Oru Thodar Kathai'' (1974) where Kamal Haasan had a supporting role as a ...
'', edited by Buddhadeb Bosu
Buddhadeva Bose (; 1908–1974), also spelt Buddhadeb Bosu, was an Indian Bengali writer of the 20th century. Frequently referred to as a poet, he was a versatile writer who wrote novels, short stories, plays and essays in addition to poetry. H ...
, who is also a major poet of the 1930s; Qadri subsequently became a well-known figure among the poets of Dhaka and Kolkata.
After the publication of his third book, Quadri stopped writing and started living in London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and Germany. Later, in the 1980s, he moved to the United States and started living in Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, where he married his second wife, Dana Quadri; she died in the late 90s. Since then, he has returned to writing again and published his fourth book in 2009. Although it has been said that "in the last issue of ''Kali O Kolom'' ebroke his near three decades of silence by penning two poems,"[ he actually broke his silence by contributing to the very first issue of ''Shabdaguchha'', a bilingual poetry journal, published in New York.
His poems have been translated into English by many scholars, such as ]Kabir Chowdhury
Kabir Chowdhury (9 February 1923 – 13 December 2011) was a Bangladeshi academic, essayist, materialist, translator, cultural worker and civil society activist.
Early life and education
Chowdhury was born in Brahmanbaria of the then Tipperah d ...
, Kaiser Haq
Kaiser Hamidul Haq (born 7 December 1950) is a Bangladeshi translator, critic and academic. Known for his translations from Bengali into English, Haq is a recipient of Bangla Academy Literary Award (2013) in the category of translation. He is a fo ...
, Farida Majid
Farida Majid (July 27, 1942 – September 28, 2021; ) was a Bangladeshi poet, translator, and academic.
Part of the first generation of Bangladeshi writers producing English-language work, Majid was an influential member of the London literary sc ...
.
Death
Qadri died at the age of 74 on 28 August 2016, from kidney disease
Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Inflammation can ...
. He was hospitalized after struggling with serious renal issues a decade before his death.
Works
*''Uttaradhikar'' (Inheritance, 1967)
*''Tomake Abhibadan Priyatama'' (Salute to You, Dearest; 1974)
*''Prem Biraha Bhalobasar Kabita'' (Poems of Love and Separation)
*''Kothayo Kono Krondon Nai'' (Weepings Nowhere)
*''Amar Chombongullo Pouchhaya Deo'' (Please, Convey my kisses)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qadri, Shahid
1942 births
2016 deaths
Bangladeshi male poets
20th-century Bangladeshi poets
21st-century Bangladeshi poets
Recipients of the Ekushey Padak
Deaths from kidney disease
Bangladeshi expatriates in the United States
Burials at Mirpur Martyred Intellectual Graveyard
20th-century male writers
21st-century male writers
Recipients of Bangla Academy Award