Eminent writer Prof Syed Manzoorul Islam passes away

Eminent writer Prof Syed Manzoorul Islam.

Dhaka, Oct 10 – Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam, eminent writer, essayist, and Emeritus Professor of the English Department at Dhaka University, passed away on Friday afternoon. He was 74.

Prof Manzoorul Islam breathed his last at 5:00 pm while undergoing treatment at LabAid Hospital in the capital, Mazharul Islam, CEO of OnnoProkash, told UNB.

Last Friday, Professor Islam had suffered a massive heart attack while on his way to the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).

He had undergone heart surgery at LabAid Hospital.

He was put in life support on Sunday.

Born on January 18, 1951, in Sylhet, Professor Islam was the son of Syed Amirul Islam and Rabeya Khatun. He completed his Secondary School Certificate from Sylhet Government Pilot High School in 1966 and his Higher Secondary Certificate from MC College, Sylhet. He earned both his BA and MA in English from Dhaka University and received his PhD in 1981 from Queen’s University in Canada, with research on the influence of Emanuel Swedenborg’s philosophy on W.B. Yeats’s poetry.

A retired professor of Dhaka University’s English department, Professor Islam later taught at ULAB. He authored several acclaimed works, including Thaka Na Thakar Golpo, Kach Vanga Rater Golpo, Ondhokar o Alo Dekhar Golpo, Adhkhana Manushyo, Dinratriguli, Ajgubi Rat, Tin Porber Jibon, and Nandantattwa.

In recognition of his contributions to Bangla literature, Professor Islam received the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1996 and the Ekushey Padak in 2018. - Unb