Writer Shawkat Ali has died aged 82 at a Dhaka hospital, his elder son says.
Doctors at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) declared him dead at 8:15 in the morning, Arif Shawkat Pallab, a physician, said.
Attacked with lung infections and kidney and heart ailments, Ali was admitted to LabAid Hospital on January 4.
At the very first, he was kept in the intensive care unit. As his condition turned for the worse, he was put on life support. Later, he was shifted to BSMMU.
Born on Feb 12, 1936, West Bengal’s North Dinajpur, Shawkat became involved with leftist politics in his student days, according to a bdnews24 report.
After starting out as a journalist, he later shifted to teaching.
He wrote for the leftist newspaper Natun Sahitya. His stories, poems and works for children were also published in Dainik Millat, monthly Samakal, and Daily Ittefaq.
Shawkat won the Ekushey Padak award in 1990 for his contributions to literature. He also won the Bangla Academy Award, Humayun Kabir Memorial Award, and Ajit Guha Memorial Literary Award.
He won the Philips Literary Award for his trilogy of novels ‘Dakkhinayoner Din’, ‘Kulai Kalsrot’ and ‘Purboratri Probodin’.
His other novels include ‘Pingol Akash’, “Prodoshe Prakritojon’, ‘Opekkha’, ‘Gontobye Ottopor’, ‘Uttorer Khep’, ‘Obosheshe Propat’, ‘Jononi O Jatika’, and ‘Jorh Bijorh’.
He also edited compilations of stories ‘Unmul Basona’, ‘Lelihan Sadh’, ‘Shuno He Lokhindor’, and ‘Baba Apne Jan’.
