Occupation Poet, journalist Name Al Mahmud Nationality Bangladeshi Role Poet | Ethnicity Bengali Spouse Nadira Begum Subject Literature | |
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Born Mir Abdus Shukur Al Mahmud
11 July 1936 (age 87)
Morail Village, Brahmanbaria District ( 1936-07-11 ) Genre Poet, novelist, short-story writer Notable works Lok Lokantor
Kaler Kalosh
Sonali Kabin
Mayabi Porda Dule Otho | ||
Vts 01 5 sayed chowdhury with al mahmud
Mir Abdus Shukur Al Mahmud (best known as Al Mahmud; born 11 July 1936) is a Bangladeshi poet, novelist, and short-story writer. He is considered one of the greatest Bengali poets to have emerged in the 20th century. His work in Bengali poetry is dominated by his frequent use of regional dialects. In the 1950s he was among those Bengali poets who were outspoken in their writing on such subjects as the events of the Bengali Language Movement, nationalism, political and economical repression, and the struggle against the West Pakistani government.
Contents
- Vts 01 5 sayed chowdhury with al mahmud
- Al mahmud poet
- Early life and career
- Literary work
- Awards
- References
Al mahmud poet
Early life and career
He was born in Morail Village of Brahmanbaria District in Bangladesh. His childhood and secondary education days were spent in this village which is located adjacent to Brahmanbaria town.
Mahmud started his career as a journalist. He obtained widespread recognition after Lok Lokantor was published in 1963. In succession, he wrote Kaler Kalosh (1966), Sonali Kabin (1966) and Mayabi Porda Dule Otho (1976). Mahmud's other famous poetical works include, Arobbo Rojonir Rajhash, Bakhtiyarer Ghora and Nodir Bhitorer Nodi. In addition to writing poetry, he has written short stories, novels and essays such as Pankourir Rakta and Upamohadesh. He took part in the Liberation War of Bangladesh as a freedom fighter in 1971. After the war, he joined The Daily Ganakantha as the assistant editor. He was jailed for a year during the era of Awami League government. Later, Al Mahmud joined Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in 1975 and retired in 1993 as director of the academy.
Literary work
His literary work Shonali Kabin published in 1973, is considered as a landmark of Bengali poetry. Philosopher Sibnarayan Ray commented:
Al Mahmud has an extraordinary gift for telescopic discrete levels of experience; in his poems I find a marvelous fusion and wit which reminds me occasionally of Bishnu Dey. The complete secularism of his approach is also striking…he was born and brought up in a very conservative Muslim religious family; it is not a secularism forced by some ideology, but present naturally and ubiquitously in his metaphors, images and themes.