Rahat Khan (19 December 1940 – 28 August 2020) was a Bangladeshi journalist and litterateur. He wrote more than 32 novels. He won

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 1973 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 1996 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 ...

Early life

Khan was born on 19 December 1940 in

Kishoreganj Kishoreganj is a city and the headquarters of Kishoreganj District in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. The city is divided two sides by the Narasundha River. Demographics According to the 2011 Bangladesh census In 2011, the Bangladesh Bureau o ...

. He wrote his first story as a student in class three. In his words, "One day a kite pounced on a small tortoise before our eyes. The event shocked me very much and made me tearful. I don't know why but I wrote a story on it and thus my authorial life began." Khan completed a degree in economics and philosophy at

Ananda Mohan College Ananda Mohan College () or Government Ananda Mohan College is a fully government-aided public college, affiliated to National University, Bangladesh and Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Mymensingh, Mymensingh Education Board in M ...

. He earned his MA from the Department of Bangla Language and Literature at the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

in 1961. For the next eight years he taught Bangla at various colleges, including

Jagannath College Jagannath University (JnU) () is a public university located in Sadarghat, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Founded as ''Dhaka Brahma School'' in 1858 and renamed ''Jagannath School'' in 1872, and later renamed ''Jagannath College'' in 1884, the institution w ...

in Dhaka.

Career

In 1969, Khan joined the Bangla-language daily newspaper ''

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 ...

'' as assistant editor. He would spend over four decades at the paper, eventually becoming its editor. In 1972, Khan published his first collection of short stories, ''Onischito Lokaloy'' (''Uncertain Human Habitation''). The following year he received the

for his short stories. He produced further volumes: ''Ontohin Jatra'' (''The Eternal Journey''), ''Bhalo Monder Taka'' (''Money for Good and Evil''), and in 1983, ''Apel Songbad'' (''News of the Apple''). In the early 1980s he published his debut novel, ''Omol Dhobol Chakri'' (''Milk-White Service''). He continued writing novels into the 1990s. After leaving ''Ittefaq'', Khan served as an advisory editor of ''Dainik Bartoman'' and served on the board of directors of the national news agency,

Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) is the news agency of Bangladesh. BSS was established on 1 January 1972 by the Government of Bangladesh soon after the Bangladesh Liberation War. Mahbub Morshed is the current managing director and chief editor o ...

(BSS). In March 2016, he was appointed to a -year term as chairman of the board of BSS.

Themes

The middle and upper class life observed in his novels comes out of urban

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 ...

society, while novels such as ''Omol Dhobol Chakri'' explore village life. Khan also considered Ekushe February and the

Bangladeshi Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War (, ), also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, was an War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali nationalism, Bengali nationalist and self-determination movement in East Pakistan, which res ...

in works such as ''Hey Matoh Bong'' and ''Hey Mohasunyota''.

Novels

* ''Omol Dhobol Chakuri'' (''Milk-White Service'', 1982) * ''Ek Priyodorshini'' (''A Beautiful Woman'', 1983) * ''Chayadompoti'' (''A Shadow Couple'', 1984) * ''Sangharsha'' (''Clash'', 1984) * ''Shahar'' (''The City'', 1984) * ''Hey Onanter Pakhi'' (''O, Bird of Infinity'', 1989) * ''Modhyomather Khelowar'' (''The Forward Footballer'', 1991) * ''Akhanksha'' (''Desire'') * ''Kayekjan'' (''A Few Persons'') * ''Ognidaho'' (''Conflagration'')

Awards

(1973) in the short story category * Sufi Motahar Hossain Award (1979) * Mahbubullah Zebunnesa Trust Award (1979) * Abul Mansur Memorial Award (1980) * Humayun Qadir Memorial Award (1982) * Shuhrid Literary Award (1975) * Trayi Literary Award (1988) * Cetana Literary Award (1989) *

(1996)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Rahat 1940 births 2020 deaths People from Kishoreganj District Academic staff of Jagannath University Bengali-language novelists Bangladeshi male novelists Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Recipients of Bangla Academy Award