Syed Abu Rushd Matinuddin (known by his pen name Abu Rushd, 25 December 1919 – 23 February 2010) was a Bangladeshi writer.

Early life and career

Rushd started his career as an English lecturer in

Hooghly Mohsin College Hooghly Mohsin College, established in 1836 after the Macaulay Report, is one of the oldest colleges in India. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Arts, Commerce and Sciences. It is affiliated to University of Burdwan. History Ho ...

. He moved to England in 1951 for studying English literature at the

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, and the fourth-oldest college of the university. The college was founde ...

. He later taught English in Kolkata Islamia College,

Dhaka College Dhaka College (), informally known as DC, is a public educational institution of Bangladesh located in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. It is one of the oldest educational institutions in the subcontinent. It offers Honours degree, honours and Master's degree ...

Chittagong College Chittagong College is a public educational institution in Chittagong, Bangladesh. It is a higher secondary school and also a degree awarding college of National University, Bangladesh. It is the second higher secondary school in the region that ...

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 ...

and

Jahangirnagar University Jahangirnagar University (, abbreviated as JU; initially started as Jahangirnagar Muslim University; ) is a fully residential public university, public research university located in Savar Upazila, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established in ...

. He retired from Jahangirnagar University in 1982.

Works

Rushd's first publication was a collection of short stories in 1939. In addition to six novels, he wrote 50 short stories, and a three-volume autobiography. Also, he was adept at translating literary works, both from

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

to English and English to Bengali, including Shakespeare's poems. Moreover, he was a regular columnist for four Bangladeshi newspapers, writing opinion pieces. Rushd translated some poems and songs of

Lalon Lalon (; died 17 October 1890), also known as Lalon Shah, Lalon Fakir, Shahji, was a Bengali spiritual leader, philosopher, mystic poet and social reformer. Regarded as an icon of Bengali culture, he inspired and influenced many philosophers, ...

to English in 1964.

Novels

* ''Elomelo'' (This and That, 1946) * ''Samne Notun Din'' (A New Day Ahead, 1951) * ''Doba Holo Dighi'' (Pool becomes Lake, 1960) * ''Nongor'' (Anchor, 1967) * ''Onishchito Ragini'' (The Unsure Tune, 1969) * ''Sthagita Dwip'' (The Aborted Island, 1974)

Awards

Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (), also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be bestowed upon officers of the ...

(1963) *

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. ...

(1963) *Habib Bank Award (1970) *

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 ...

(1981) * Adamjee Literary Award *Nasiruddin Gold Medal (1992) *Alakta Literary Award (1992) *Bangla Sahitya Parisad Award (1993) *Sher-e-Bangla Gold Award (1992) *Lekhika Sangha Award (1992) *Rotary Club Award (1995) *Chattagram Sangskriti Kendro Farrukh Memorial Award (1999)

Personal life

Abu Rushd-CSK Farrukh Memorial Awarded Person 1999

Rush was married to Azija Rushd. His brother,

Rashid Karim Rashid Karim (14 August 1925 – 26 November 2011) was a Bangladeshi novelist. Karim completed his BA from Calcutta Islamia College. His family moved to Dhaka after the partition in 1947. He began writing at fourteen and published his first stor ...

, was a novelist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rushd, Abu 1919 births 2010 deaths Bengali-language writers Bangladeshi male novelists Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Academic staff of Jahangirnagar University Academic staff of Dhaka College Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Recipients of Bangla Academy Award Place of death missing Recipients of the Adamjee Literary Award Dhaka College alumni Pakistani writers Pakistani expatriates in the United Kingdom Writers from Kolkata