Biography
Ahsan Habib was a popular and well-acclaimed Bangladeshi poet and a major literary figure in Bengali culture.
Birth and Education
Ahsan Habib was was born in the village of Shankarpasha in Pirojpur district. His father's name was Hamijuddin and mother's was Jamila Khatun. He was the first one out of ten children of very poor parents. After passing the Entrance examination in 1935 from Pirojpur Government School, he enrolled at the B M College, Barisal, but had to drop out because of financial reasons. Shortly afterwards, he moved to Kolkata, the capital city at that time, to find a job.
Life in Kolkata
Ahsan Habib started to stragle with life from Kolkata. After coming Kolkata in 1937, he joined the Takbir as assistant editor. His salary was only 17 taka. He subsequently worked in the Bulbul (1937-38) and the saogat (1939-43). From 1943 to 1948 he also worked as a staff artiste at the Kolkata centre of All India Radio.
Back to Dhaka
After the partition of India in 1947, he left Kolkata for dhaka. Here he married a Mahsin Ali's daughter Sufiya Khatun from Katnarpara in Bagura on 21 June 1947. He was the father of four children: 2 daughters and 2 sons.
The other publications where he worked include the Daily azad, Monthly mohammadi, Daily Krishak, Daily Ittehad, Weekly Prabaha, etc. He was also the production adviser of Franklin Publications from 1957 to 1964. From 1964 to 1985 he worked at the Dainik Pakistan/ Dainik Bangla.
Literary Works
Ahsan Habib started writing while still a student. His first poem, 'Mayer Kabar Pade Kishor', was published in the school magazine in 1934 when he was student of class X. Subsequently, his poems were published in various journals and magazines such as Desh, Mohammadi, Bichitra, etc. His first book of poems was Ratrishes (1947). He also wrote novels and a number of children's books.
Theme of his Works
Ahsan Habib was a poet of urban society, both in language and sensibility. His poems reflect the social reality of his times and focus on the concerns of the middle class.
Awards
He received several awards for his literary achievements, among them the UNESCO Literary Prize (1960-61), the Bangla Academy Award (1961), Adamjee Literary Prize (1964), Nasiruddin Gold Medal (1977), Ekushey Padak (1978), Abul Mansur Ahmed Memorial Prize (1980) and Abul Kalam Memorial Prize (1984).
Ahsna Habib died in Dhaka, Bangladesh. ..
