Eminent Bengali poet Abul Hossain died on Sunday at about 10:30pm in the capital’s Square Hospital. He was 92 and was
suffering from old-age complications.
One of the most aged poets Abul Hossain was a parent figure to many in the contemporary literature arena in Bangladesh. Hossain, an Ekushey Padak winner, has had an unwavering active presence in Bangla literature since the forties.
Almost all the prominent poets and writers of the country have been in touch with him; and being senior to most of them, Abul Hossain was a source of inspiration, said poets and writers.
‘Abul Hossain’s name comes among the firsts if we speak of modernity in Bangla poetry. His poetry was a reflection of his time’, said noted poet Mohammad Nurul Huda while sharing his feelings on the demise of Hossain.
‘Personally Abul Hossain was a man of few words. Besides, he was righteous, polite and overall a very gentle man. His death is a great loss for the literary arena of the country,’ added Huda.
Supplementing Huda, eminent poet Rafiq Azad shared that Abul Hossain was like a guardian. ‘As a poet, he was free from all types of prejudices and could create magnificent poetry out of everyday experience that would touch readers’ hearts,’ said Azad, who further added that Abul Hossain was a distinct poet in terms of his language, diction and theme.
‘Besides, Abul Hossain was an upright man and never compromised with any injustice and he was present in every major movement in the history of the country,’ added Azad.
In a written statement, Shamsuzzaman Khan, literary scholar and also director general of Bangla Academy, said that the way Abul Hossain used to express the struggles of human life was splendid. Bangla Academy is greatly saddened by the death of the poet.
Among his collections of poems, Duswapna Theke Duswapne (1985), Haoa Tomar Kee Dussahos (1982), Ekhono Shomoy Ache (1997), Aar Kisher Opekkha (2000) and few others are still held as treasures by the Bengali readership.
-With New Age input
