Famous Bangladeshi Novelists

Bangladeshi novelist and filmmaker Humayun Ahmed boasted of a PhD in polymer chemistry and had even taught at the University of Dhaka. His mostly depicted the struggle of the middle-class through his works. His films such as Aguner Poroshmoni won him multiple National Film Awards. He died battling colon cancer.

Zahir Raihan was a noted Bangladeshi short story writer, novelist and filmmaker. Director of Jeebon Theke Neya (1970) and Stop Genocide (1971) he also participated in the 1969 mass uprising and was possibly killed in 1972 by the opponent of Liberation War.

Bangladeshi poet and author Jasimuddin, also known as Polli Kobi, or The Rural Poet, was one of the key figures of the Bengali language movement. Best known for his lyric poems such as Nakshi Kanthar Math, and for his use of Bengali folklore, he created a stir by rejecting the Bangla Academy Award.

Syed Mujtaba Ali was a Bangladeshi writer, travel enthusiast, journalist, academic, linguist, and scholar. Born into a Bengali Muslim family in British India, Ali was an ardent supporter of the Bengali language. He was one of the first activists to call for Bengali as the state language of East Pakistan. He was honored with the Narsinghadas Prize and Ekushey Padak.

Ahmed Sofa was a Bangladeshi writer, novelist, poet, public intellectual, philosopher, and thinker. Counted among the most prominent and greatest Bengali Muslim writers of all time, Sofa and his works continue to influence and inspire many writers, painters, filmmakers, intellectuals, and artists. Ahmed Sofa’s works have influenced popular personalities like Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, Humayun Ahmed, Farhad Mazhar, and Tareque Masud.

Shahidullah Kaiser was a Bangladeshi writer and novelist. Kaiser took an active part in the Bengali language movement and was arrested on a couple of occasions by the Pakistani government before disappearing during the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was the recipient of several prestigious awards such as Adamjee Literary Award, Bangla Academy Literary Award, Ekushey Padak, and Independence Day Award.

Humayun Azad was a Bangladeshi poet, short-story writer, novelist, columnist, critic, and linguist. In 1986, he was honored with the Bangla Academy Literary Award for his immense contributions to Bengali linguistics. Apart from writing over 60 titles, he also served as a professor at The University of Dhaka. In 2012, Humayun Azad was honored posthumously with the prestigious Ekushey Padak.

Known as one of the modern poets of Bangladesh, Shahabuddin Nagari soared to fame in the 1970s and gained prominence as a lyricist. The Kabitalap Award winner also served as a Bangladesh government bureaucrat. He had also been part of the liberation war of Bangladesh.

Rabeya Khatun was a Bangladeshi novelist, essayist, and short story writer. Khatun, who wrote over 400 short stories and more than 50 novels, was honored with the prestigious Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1973. Rabeya Khatun was also a recipient of Ekushey Padak, Anannya Literature Award, and Independence Day Award among many other awards.