Abdul Haque (; 1918–1997) was a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...

essayist, journalist and writer. He served as a deputy director of the

Bangla Academy The Bangla Academy (, ) is the official regulatory body of the Bengali language in Bangladesh. It is an autonomous institution funded by the Government of Bangladesh that fosters the Bengali language, literature and culture, works to develop an ...

, a government-funded regulatory institution. He was posthumously awarded an

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak () is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of martyrs of the Bengali language movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contributions in a number of fields, including culture, education, and e ...

in language and literature in 2011.

Early life and education

Haque was born in 1918, to a

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work./ref> are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ...

family in the village of Udainagar located in Nawabganj (then under

Malda district Malda district, also spelt Maldah or Maldaha (, , often ), is a district in West Bengal, India. The capital of the Bengal Sultanate, Gauda and Pandua, was situated in this district. Mango, jute and silk are the most notable products of this ...

), part of the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

's Bengal Province. He passed his matriculation with a first from Kansat High School in 1936, and then a first in his

Intermediate of Arts Intermediate Arts (IA) is an academic diploma awarded by a high school or junior college after the completion of 12th grade or equivalent in some countries like India and Nepal. However, as for Nepal, the usage of IA, ISc, and the like has become o ...

from the

Government Saadat College Government Saadat College () is an old public college in Karatia, Tangail, Bangladesh. It is often referred to as Karatia College.It was established in July 1926. The college is located at Karatia near the Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of ...

in 1939. In 1944, he graduated from

Rajshahi College Rajshahi College (Bengali language, Bengali: রাজশাহী কলেজ) is a public college, public educational institution in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Established in 1873, it is the third oldest college in Bangladesh after Dhaka College a ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in English and in 1946, with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

from the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

Career

Haque joined '' The Daily Azad'' in 1945 as its sub-editor, and later worked for the '' Saogat''. He joined the Regional Information Office in

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

as a staff writer in 1947. Following the independence of Pakistan, he worked as the assistant publishing officer in the Bengali Development Board. Haque was later promoted to publication officer. In 1964, he was awarded the 'Dawood Prize'. The Bengali Development Board was merged into the Bangla Academy and he was made deputy director of Bangla Academy.

Award

In 1974 he was awarded the

Bangla Academy Literary Award The Bangla Academy Literary Award (; ''Bangla Academy Shahitya Puroshkar'') is given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh in recognition of creative genius in advancement and overall contribution in the field of Bengali language and literature. ...

. He wrote a number of plays. His essays were published in journals and were published in books. In 1981 he retired from the Bangla Academy as its director. In 1988 he was awarded the Abul Hasnat Literary Award and in 1990 the Hilali Memorial Gold Medal.

Death

Haque died in 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haque, Abdul 1918 births 1997 deaths People from Chapai Nawabganj district Recipients of Bangla Academy Award Bangladeshi essayists 20th-century Bangladeshi writers Bangladeshi dramatists and playwrights Rajshahi College alumni University of Calcutta alumni 20th-century essayists Recipients of the Ekushey Padak