Whose pen was mightier than sword
FROM PAGE 1
An author himself, Prof Islam considers Humayun Azad one of the best prose writers of our time, and said his book “Prabachanguchchha” (Maxims of Humayun Azad) was an outstanding piece. “He had a strong sense of humour and satire.”
Prof Azad started receiving threats from militants after his book “Pak Sar Jamin Sad Bad”, a scathing criticism of religious extremism, was first published in the Daily Ittefaq’s Eid supplement in November 2003.
The book depicts the story of a zealot who wants to turn Bangladesh into a “Taliban-styled nation”.
This book earned praise from secular thinkers but for the bigots, it was anathema. Addressing a demonstration at Baitul Mukarram in December, leaders of an anti-Ahmadiyya outfit demanded the arrest and trial of Prof Azad.
On January 25, 2004, Delawar Hossain Sayedee, then a Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker and now incarcerated for war crimes, called for the introduction of the Blasphemy Act to block publications of “such books”.
The next month, members of the militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) launched a machete attack on Prof Azad near Bangla Academy when he was returning from the Ekushey Boi Mela, leaving him grievously injured.
Failing to bear mental and physical trauma from the assault, he died in Munich on August 12 that year, while carrying out a research on romantic German writer Heinrich Heine.
Born in 1947 in Munshiganj, Prof Azad earned critical acclaim for his nonconformist writing and views, and at the same time gained huge readership while never compromising with the market demand.
His novel “Chhappanno Hajar Borgomile’’ on the role of military autocracy that causes rot in the political system was a bestseller and widely praised. His novel “Shob Kichhu Bhenge Pore” depicted frictions in society.
His feminist book “Naree”, which attracted huge negative reactions from the conservatives, was banned in 1995.
“Dwitiya Linga”, translation of French existentialist philosopher and feminist activist Simone de Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex”, was welcomed by freethinkers but hated by religious extremists, according to Osman Gani of Agamee Prakashani, the publisher of some 70 books by Humayun Azad.
His command over literary criticism and intellectual depth can be observed in the books like “Shamsur Rahman/Nihshanga Sherpa”, “Bhasha Andolon: Sahityik Patabhumi” and “Amra Ki Ei Bangladesh Cheyechhilam”.
Prof Azad started writing poems early in life. One of his books of poetry “Sob kichhu noshtoder odhikare chole jabe” had a poem with the same name. This title has become a well-used quote to describe unfairness, discrimination and injustice.
His first book of poetry “Aloukik Istimar” and book of essays “Rabindra Probandha: Rashtra O Samajchinta” were published in 1973.
His book for teens, “Abbuke Mone Pore”, was translated into Japanese.
Many consider “Koto Nodi Shorobor Ba Bangla Bhashar Jiboni”, on Bangla language, and “Lal Neel Deepabali Ba Bangla Shahitter Jiboni”, on Bangla literature as two of his seminal works.
His PhD dissertation “Pronominalization in Bangla”, which was later published as a book and pieces on linguistics like “Bangla Bhashar Shatru-mitra” and “Bakyatatva” were well accepted among academics and researchers.
His long-time colleague, Prof Abul Kashem Fazlul Haq of DU Bangla department said “Shamsur Rahman/Nihshanga Sherpa” “Lal Neel Deepabali”, and two volumes of essays on Bangla language titled “Bangla Bhasha” are considered important works for students (of Bangla language and literature).
Prof Azad got a PhD in linguistics from Edinburgh University. Starting his professional career as a teacher at Chittagong College, he later worked at Chittagong University and Jahangirnagar University before joining DU in 1978.
He received the Bangla Academy Award in 1986 and posthumously Ekushey Padak, one of the highest civilian awards, for his outstanding contribution to literature and linguistics in 2012.
“With his death, there is a great vacuum in the literary field. And the vacuum is yet to be filled,” said his publisher Gani.
Prof Manzoorul Islam concludes: “The spirit of protest is dwindling in our society … we accept everything without anyone raising questions and debate. Humayun Azad will remain our inspiration in the struggle against attempts to snatch away our freedom from us.”