Prof Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq passes away

Bangla Academy President and eminent writer Professor Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq passed away on Sunday afternoon at the age of 86.

He breathed his last at around 2:30pm at the National Heart Foundation in Mirpur after falling ill during a family programme, according to Serajul Islam (Seraj Salekeen), Chairman of the Department of Bangla at the University of Dhaka.

Professor Huq was one of Bangladesh’s leading literary critics and scholars. He taught at the Department of Bangla at the University of Dhaka for four decades, making significant contributions to literary research, criticism and higher education.

He graduated from the University of Dhaka in 1965 and completed his master’s degree there in 1966.
At the time of his death, he was serving as President of Bangla Academy.

He also served as convener of the Rashtrabhasha Bangla Rokkha Committee (State Language Bengali Protection Committee), reflecting his long-standing commitment to the promotion and preservation of the Bengali language.

Professor Huq received numerous honours in recognition of his contributions to literature and research. According to Bangla Academy, these included the Bangla Academy Award (1981), the Bangladesh Writers’ Association Humayun Kabir Memorial Award (1974), the Kolkata Little Magazine Library and Research Centre Award (1991), and the Alakta Memorial Literary Award (2004).

His first book, Muktisangram, was published in 1972. Over the course of his career, he authored 32 books, translated one work and edited 23 books. More than 250 of his research articles were published in national and international journals.

His scholarly work helped shape literary criticism and Bengali studies in Bangladesh, earning him wide recognition in academic and literary circles.

Professor Huq also endured personal tragedy. His son, publisher Faisal Arefin Dipon, owner of Jagriti Prokashony, was killed by Islamist militants on 31 October 2015.

His death marks the passing of one of Bangladesh’s most respected literary scholars, whose contributions to Bengali language, literature and academic research spanned more than five decades.