Humayun Ahmed

Humayun Ahmed
Ahmed in 2010
Native name	হুমায়ূন আহমেদ
Born	(1948-11-13)13 November 1948[1] Netrokona, East Bengal, Pakistan (now Mymensingh, Bangladesh)
Died	19 July 2012(2012-07-19) (aged 63) New York City, New York, United States
Resting place	Pirujali, Dhaka, Bangladesh[2]
Occupation	Writer, film director, academic, dramatist
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Alma mater	University of Dhaka (BS, MS) North Dakota State University (PhD)
Years active	1972–2012
Notable awards	Bangla Academy Literary Award Ekushey Padak
Spouse	Gultekin Khan ​ ​ (m. 1976; div. 2004)​ Meher Afroz Shaon ​ (m. 2004)​ [3]
Children	Nova Shila Bipasha Rashed Nuhash Nishad Ninith Lilaboti (deceased)
Relatives	Muhammad Zafar Iqbal (brother) Ahsan Habib (brother)
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Humayun Ahmed ( [ɦumaiyun aɦmed]; 13 November 1948 – 19 July 2012)^[4][5] was a Bangladeshi novelist, dramatist, screenwriter, filmmaker, songwriter, scholar, and academic.^[6] His breakthrough was his debut novel Nondito Noroke published in 1972.^[7] He wrote over 200 fiction and non-fiction books.^[8][9] He was one of the most popular authors and filmmakers in post-independence Bangladesh.^[10] Pakistani English newspaper Dawn referred to him as the cultural legend of Bangladesh.^[11]

In the early 1990s, Humayun Ahmed emerged as a filmmaker. He went on to make a total of eight films – each based on his novels. Some of his notable films are: Daruchini Dip, Aguner Poroshmoni, Srabon Megher Din, Shonkhonil Karagar, Dui Duari, Shyamol Chhaya and Ghetuputra Komola. He was one of the most influential dramatist in Bangladesh during the 1990s, when he wrote the most popular soap operas. His works, such as Kothao Keu Nei, Aaj Robibar, and Bohubrihi, are still considered masterpieces by fans and critics.^[12] Many Bangladeshi filmmakers are still inspired by his works.^[13] His film Shyamol Chhaya and Ghetuputra Komola were gradually submitted for the 78th Academy Awards and 85th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category from Bangladesh.^[14][15] Later he set up his own production company named Nuhash Chalachitra.

Widely regarded as the greatest novelist in Bangladesh's history, he is considered one of the cornerstones in modern Bengali literature,^[16] his works are characterized by non-violence, realistic storylines, family drama, and humor styles. In recognition of the works of Humayun, The Times of india wrote, "Humayun was a custodian of the Bangladeshi literary culture whose contribution single-handedly shifted the capital of Bengali literature from Kolkata to Dhaka without any war or revolution." and entitled him "The Shakespeare of Bangladesh".^[17]Sunil Gangopadhyay described him as the most popular writer in the Bengali language for a century, and according to him (Sunil), Humayun Ahmed was even more popular than Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.^[18] Humayun Ahmed's books have been the top sellers at the Ekushey Book Fair during every year of the 1990s and 2000s.^[19] He won the National Film Awards a record 7 times in directing, screenplay and story for the films Ghetuputra Komola, Aguner Poroshmoni, Shonkhonil Karagar, Daruchini Dwip and Anil Bagchir Ekdin. He also won the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1981 and the Ekushey Padak in 1994 for his contribution to the Bengali literature.