Shishir Bhattacharja (born 4 August 1963) is a Bangladeshi

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

, writer, columnist, and a professor of the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...

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 ...

. He is also the Director of the Institute of Modern Languages, University of Dhaka. An ardent advocate and promoter of the

Bengali language Bengali, also known by its endonym and exonym, endonym Bangla (, , ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. ...

, he has written extensively on the use of

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 ...

in Bangladesh. He translated works of

Guillaume Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire (; ; born Kostrowicki; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist and art critic of Poland, Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the ...

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he s ...

, and

Bernard-Henri Lévy Bernard-Henri Georges Lévy (; ; born 5 November 1948) is a French public intellectual. Often referred to in France simply as BHL, he was one of the leaders of the " Nouveaux Philosophes" (New Philosophers) movement in 1976. His opinions, politi ...

into Bengali and poems of

Jibanananda Das Jibanananda Das (17 February 1899 – 22 October 1954) was a Bengali poet, writer, novelist and essayist in the Bengali language. Popularly called "Rupashi Banglar Kabi'' ('Poet of Beautiful Bengal'), Das is the most read Bengali poet after Rab ...

into French.

Education and career

Born in

Sitakunda Sitakunda or Sitakunda Town () is an administrative centre and the sole municipality (''Paurashava'') of Sitakunda Upazila in Chattogram District, located in Chattogram Division, Bangladesh. Sitakunda is famous for the Chandranath Temple and Hin ...

Chattogram 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 ...

, he completed

Bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

and

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

Indology Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies. The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is ...

and

Linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

Université Sorbonne Nouvelle The Sorbonne Nouvelle University (, also known as Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3, Paris 3, Sorbonne Nouvelle and the Sorbonne) is a public liberal arts and humanities university in Paris, France. It is one of the inheritors of the hi ...

. He received his

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

from the

University of Montreal A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

, Canada. He did his post-doctorate at the Institute of State Language in

University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

. In 1989, Bhattacharja joined Dhaka University where he is, at present, the Director of the Institute of Modern Languages. Accused of making hateful remarks against

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

and

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, as well as derogatory comments about victims of so called anti-discrimination movements, a group of

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

students protested in front of the Vice-Chancellor's residence on December 12, demanding his dismissal.

Selected works

In Bengali

*''Ishwar Dharma Bishwas'' (ঈশ্বর ধর্ম বিশ্বাস, God Religion Faith) *''Samaj Sangskriti Shilpakala'' (সমাজ সংস্কৃতি শিল্পকলা, Society Culture Arts) * ''Bangla Byakaraner Ruparekha'' (বাংলা ব্যাকরণের রূপরেখা, Outline of Bengali Grammar) * ''Bangla Bhasha: Prakrita Samasya o Peshadari Samadhan'' (বাংলা ভাষা: প্রকৃত সমস্যা ও পেশাদারি সমাধান, (Bengali Language: Real Problems and Professional Solutions) *''Ja Kichu Byakaran Nay'' (যা কিছু ব্যাকরণ নয়, whatever is not Grammar) * ''Antaranga Byakaran'' (অন্তরঙ্গ ব্যাকরণ, Intimate Grammar) * ''Uchit Shiksha'' (উচিৎ শিক্ষা, Proper Education) * ''Bishwabidyalayer Itihas: Adiparba'' (বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের ইতিহাস: আদিপর্ব, History of University: The Early Period) *''Jatrapala Chandragupta kingba Khamatasastrer Sohoj Path'' (যাত্রাপালা চন্দ্রগুপ্ত কিংবা ক্ষমতা-শাস্ত্রের সহজপাঠ, (Jatra Performance: Chandragupta or A Beginner's Guide to the Politics of Power)

Translations

* ''Bangladesh Jakhan Swadhin Hacchila'' (বাংলাদেশ যখন স্বাধীন হচ্ছিল, When Bangladesh was getting liberated), a Bengali translation of

's ''Bangla-Desh, Nationalisme dans la révolution'' (1973) *''Rimbaud: Nirbachita Kabita ebang Patrabali'' (র‍্যাঁবো: নির্বাচিত কবিতা ও পত্রাবলি, Selected Poems and Letters of

Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he s ...

) * ''

Apollinaire Guillaume Apollinaire (; ; born Kostrowicki; 26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918) was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist and art critic of Polish descent. Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the early ...

: Nirbachita Kabita'' (আপোলিন্যার: নির্বাচিত কবিতা, Selected Poems of Apollinaire)

In English

* ''Word Formation in Bengali: A Whole Word Morphological Description and its Theoretical Implications''

In French

*''Bhagwan et son monde orange'' (1991) *''La poésie contemporaine du Bangladesh (''Co-author)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhattacharja, Shishir Academic staff of the University of Dhaka 1963 births Bangladeshi male writers Bangladeshi columnists Bangladeshi translators Paris-Sorbonne University alumni Université de Montréal alumni Linguists from Bangladesh Linguists of French People from Chittagong District Bangladeshi Hindus Living people