Rabeya Khatun

Rabeya Khatun
রাবেয়া খাতুন
Born(1935-12-27)27 December 1935
Bikrampur, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died3 January 2021(2021-01-03) (aged 85)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
NationalityBangladeshi
OccupationNovelist
Spouse
Fazlul Haque
​
​
(m. 1952; died 1990)​
Children4, including
Awardsfull list

Rabeya Khatun (27 December 1935 – 3 January 2021)[1] was a Bangladeshi novelist. She wrote over 50 novels and more than 400 short stories.[2] Her works also include essays, research, religious history and travelogues.[3] She was awarded Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1973, Ekushey Padak in 1993 and Independence Day Award in 2017 by the Government of Bangladesh.[4][5][6]

Khatun died of cardiac arrest on 3 January 2021 at her residence in Gulshan, Dhaka.[1]

Early life and education

Khatun was born on 27 December 1935 to Maulavi Mohammad Mulluk Chand and Hamida Khatun in Bikrampur in the then Bengal Presidency, British India (now in Munshiganj District, Bangladesh). She was the second of their three children.[7] Khatun grew up in the Shantinagar area in Dhaka.[8] She passed the entrance examination from Armanitola School in 1948.[9]

On 23 July 1952, she married Fazlul Haque (1930–1990).[7][10] He was the editor of the Cinema magazine.[8] He directed President, the first film for children in Bangladesh.[11]

Career

Khatun worked at Khawatin magazine, edited by Jahanara Imam.[8] She then worked as the editor of the literature section of the magazine Cinema along with Zahir Raihan.[8] Later she became the editor of the monthly Angana.[3]

Khatun was a council member of Bangla Academy.[9] She was a member of the jury board of Bangladesh National Film Awards, Bangladesh Shishu Academy, Notun Kuri of Bangladesh Television.[9]

Works

Khatun's first story Prashno was published in the weekly Juger Dabi.[3] Her novel Rajarbagh was published in Begum.[8] She wrote her first novel Madhumati in 1963.[2] She wrote about the Bangladesh Liberation War in her book Ekattorer Noy Maash in 1990.[12] Two of her novels, Nirasraya and Biday O Ashok Reba, have never been published.[9]

Novels

  • Madhumati (1963)
  • Mon Ek Shwet Kapoti (Mind is a White Pigeon, 1965)
  • Ononto Onwesha (Endless Pursuit, 1967)
  • Rajarbagh (1967)
  • Saheb Bazar (1967)
  • Ferari Surjo (Fugitive Sun, 1975)
  • Onek Joner Ekjan (One of Many Persons, 1976)
  • Jiboner Ar Ek Naam Dibos Rojoni (Another Name of Life is Day and Night, 1980)
  • Bayanno Golir Ek Goli (One of Fifty Two Alleys, 1984)
  • Baganer Naam Malnichara (Name of the Garden is Malnichara)
  • Ei Birohokal (This Time of Separation, 1995)
  • Ei Bhora Bador Mah Bhador (This Rainy Day of the Month of Bhadra, 1995)
  • Priya Gulshana (Beloved Gulshana, 1997)[2]

Adaptations

Khatun's book-to-film adaptations include Kokhono Megh Kokhono Brishti (2003), Megher Pore Megh (2004) and Madhumati (2011).[13]

Personal life

Khatun lived in Banani, a residential area in Dhaka.[14] She had two sons and two daughters — Faridur Reza Sagar (b. 1955) is the current managing director of Impress Telefilm Limited and Channel i; Keka Ferdousi (b. 1960) is a television chef; Farhadur Reza Probal is an architect; and Farhana Kakoly.[9][15][14][16]

Awards

References

  1. ^ a b "Novelist Rabeya Khatun no more". The Daily Star. 2021-01-03. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
  2. ^ a b c "80th birthday of Rabeya Khatun today". The Independent. Dhaka. 2015-12-27. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  3. ^ a b c d "Rabeya Khatun and Syed Shamsul Haque turn 74 today". The Daily Star. 2008-12-27. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  4. ^ পুরস্কারপ্রাপ্তদের তালিকা [Winners list] (in Bengali). Bangla Academy. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  5. ^ একুশে পদকপ্রাপ্ত সুধীবৃন্দ [Ekushey Padak winners list] (in Bengali). Government of Bangladesh. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  6. ^ স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কারপ্রাপ্ত ব্যক্তি/প্রতিষ্ঠানের তালিকা [List of the names of personnel and institutions who won the Independence Day Award] (in Bengali). Government of Bangladesh. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  7. ^ a b "Novelist Rabeya Khatun dies". New Age. 3 January 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e "The story of Rabeya Khatun". New Age (Interview). 2005-07-09. Archived from the original on 2006-08-21. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k জন্মদিনে কথাসাহিত্যিক রাবেয়া খাতুনকে নিরন্তর শুভেচ্ছা. Samakal (in Bengali). Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  10. ^ ফজলুল হক স্মৃতি পুরস্কার পাচ্ছেন রাজ্জাক. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  11. ^ "Fazlul Haque Memorial Award conferred". The Daily Star. 2014-10-27. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  12. ^ "Rabeya Khatun's birthday today". The Independent. Dhaka. 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  13. ^ আমি ষাটের দশকের মেয়ে. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  14. ^ a b "Mitali recites for Rabeya Khatun". The Daily Observer. 2018-12-29. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  15. ^ "Becoming a Household Name in Bangladesh". The Daily Star. 2014-09-20. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  16. ^ এ সপ্তাহের সাক্ষাৎকার. BBC News (in Bengali). Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  17. ^ আজ ৩ নভেম্বর [Today is November 3]. Jugantor (in Bengali). Retrieved 2019-08-15.
  18. ^ "Geetanjali Lalitkala Academy to celebrate 11th founding anniv". The Daily Observer. 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2019-08-15.