Anwara Begum (known by her pen name Anwara Syed Haq; born 1940) is a writer of Bangla literature. She has written a number of novels, short stories, children's books and also written a number of essays. She has been praised for using her knowledge of human psychology beautifully in her writings. She is a psychiatrist by profession. She was awarded

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. ...

in 2009 and

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 2019 by the

government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

for her contribution to the language and literature.

Early life

Anwara Syed Haq was born into a conservative Muslim family in the town of Jessore. She passed her childhood and teenage years in Jessore. Her father was a very pious man and insisted that she observe religious customs. She rarely had the opportunity to read novels, magazines or literary material in her school and college days. Her father's wish was that she would study medicine whereas her wish was that she would study

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

. To fulfill her father's wish she moved to

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 ...

in 1959 and enrolled in

Dhaka Medical College Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) is a public medical college and hospital located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1946, the college houses a medical school as well as a tertiary care hospital on its campus. History Site during ...

. Haq then went to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to attend post graduate education in medicine.

Academic career

After completing her SSC and HSC in

Jessore Jessore (, ), officially Jashore, is a city of Jessore District in Khulna Division. It lies in southwestern Bangladesh. It is home to the first flight training school of the Bangladeshi Air Force, established in 1971. Jessore city consists of 9 wa ...

, Haq moved to Dhaka in 1959 and enrolled in

. She obtained her

MBBS A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

degree in 1965. In 1973 went to the United Kingdom for higher education. After having completed her post graduate degree in medical psychiatry in 1982 she returned home from the UK. She has since then worked at a number of institutions, among which are

Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...

, Dhaka Medical College and BIRDEM. Now she works professionally as a psychiatrist.

Personal life

Anwara Syed Haq married writer and poet Syed Shamsul Haq on 19 November 1965. They have one daughter and one son. Her daughter Bidita teaches English literature at higher school level. Her son Ditio is an IT specialist, writes stories, lyrics and music.

Awards

Anannya Literature Award Anannya Literature Award () is the prize for women in Bangladesh recognition of contribution to the field of literature by Anannya Magazine in every Bengali year since 1401 (Gregorian 1993). Winners References Bangladeshi literary awards ...

(2006) *

(2009) * Agrani Bank Puroshkar * Michael Madhushudhon Puroshkar * Shishu Academy Puroshkar *

(2019)

Literary works

Haq's first short story "Paribartan" was published in Sangbad in 1954. From 1955 to 1957, she regularly wrote for Ittefaque's "Kachi Kanchar Ashor". Her first novel was published in Sachitra Shandhani in 1968. After her first novel, she has written a number of novels and short stories. Many of her novels are set in Dhaka and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

where she spent much of her time. Her publications consist of twenty-five novels, three volumes of poems, eight collections of short stories, eight collections of essays, three autobiography volumes, two collections of travel writing, forty fictional stories for young readers. * Bari O Banita * Shei Prem Shei Shomoy * Udoy Mina-ke Chay * Bhalo-bashar Laal Pipre * Osthirotar Kaal Bhalo-bashar Shomoy

Children's stories

* Ekjon Muktijoddhar Chhele (] * Montir Baba (] * Tomader Janno Egaroti (] * Ulto Payer Bhoot (] * Ami Babake Bhalobasi (] * Hanadar Bahini Jobdo (] * Amar Ma Shobcheye Bhalo

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haq, Anwara Syed 1940 births Living people Dhaka Medical College alumni Bangladeshi psychiatrists Women psychiatrists Bangladeshi women writers Recipients of Bangla Academy Award Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Date of birth missing (living people)