A. T. M. Shamsuddin (1927–2009), also known by the pen name ''Charubak'', was a Bangladeshi author, journalist, translator,

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

and union organizer. He served as the general secretary of the East Pakistan Journalists Union and as a member of the Chittagong All Party Language Movement Committee.

Early life

Abu Taher Muhammad Shamsuddin, also known as Taher Shamsuddin, was born in

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

in southern

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

, later Bangladesh. His father, Ahmedur Rahman, was an employee of the Kolkata port commission, and his mother died when he was three years old. His father remarried to Shamsuddin's mother's cousin, who also later died; he was raised in his maternal uncle's household.

Active in politics

Shamsuddin was active against British colonial power and was jailed. When studying in class nine, he was assistant secretary of Zila Muslim Chatra League. He never graduated. Later, he was a strict communist and worked for the party while it remained underground. He joined the

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation the ...

Editor

Shamsuddin first joined the weekly ''

The Daily Ittefaq ''The Daily Ittefaq'' (, Bangla pronunciation: ) is a Bengali-language daily newspaper. Founded in 1949 by Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Yar Mohammad Khan, it is the oldest and one of the most circulated newspapers in Bangladesh. The newspape ...

''. In 1961, he joined the Dhaka daily newspaper ''

The Sangbad ''The Sangbad'' () is a Bengali-language daily newspaper, founded in 1951 and published from Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest newspaper in Bangladesh. History The Sangbad was founded in 1951 and published from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Its first ...

'' as an assistant editor. He served as editor for '' Udayan'', '' Jubobarta'', '' Soviet Somikkha'', '' Soviet Review''.

Career in Soviet Embassy

He worked at the Soviet embassy in Dhaka and was the general manager of the press information department. He retired after 21 years.

Works

He wrote many satire and adventure stories. In 1966, his first novel ''Bonanir Buke'' was published.

Qazi Anwar Hussain Qazi Anwar Hussain (19 July 1936 – 19 January 2022) was a Bangladeshi writer of spy thrillers, detective novels, and adventure-based literature, many of which were adaptations or heavily influenced by foreign works. Early life and education ...

inspired him and beginning in 1987, he wrote stories of Batamul in Rohosho Potrika. His first translation was '' Hoja Nasiruddin''. He made many translations including ''Pakistan Jakhan Bhanglo'', the memoirs of Lt. Gen.

Gul Hassan Khan Gul Hassan Khan (9 June 1921 – 10 October 1999) known secretly as ''George'', was a Pakistani former three-star rank general and diplomat who served as the sixth and last Commander in Chief (Pakistan), Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistan Army ...

References

Bangladeshi male writers Bengali writers Bengali-language writers 1927 births 2009 deaths {{Bangladesh-bio-stub