Hasan Khurshid Rumi

Hasan Khurshid Rumi is a Bangladeshi writer, translator and editor who also designed many covers and associated with audio-visual media as well as the co-editor of the first Bangladeshi Science Fiction magazine, `Moulik' and `Unmad', whose specialized sector is SF.

Biography

Hasan Khurshid Rumi was born on November 2, 1959 in Chittagong. Was grown-up in Old Dhaka, the historical part of the capital of Bangladesh. His grand father was one of the constitution-maker of India and a famous lawer who migrated into East Pakistan, which became Bangladesh. Rumi saw a dogfight between a Pakistani and an Indian fighter plane in 1971 from rooftop during the liberation war. Rumi graduated from Jagannath University.

He saw mother's fiction reading experience and grand father's collection. These inspired him to be a writer. Now, he is a full time pen-worker. he also made a huge collection of books both in Bangla and English.

Works

Hasan Khurshid Rumi is considered as the third important person in Bangla science fiction after Humayun Ahmed and Muhammed Zafar Iqbal. Is also known as godfather of young translators and sci-fi writers. He wrote `Ora Esechilo', a collection of SF short stories and that was the starting, published by Sheba Prokashoni. He has written many stories and articles in `Rohosho Potrika', a leading thriller and SF magazine of 1970 to 1990. After that, translated nearly 30 books and edited around 40 books.

Hasan Khurshid Rumi was also the co-editor of the first SF magazine of Bangladesh, named `Moulik' was in the editorial board of `Kishor Patrika', is the Associate Executive Editor of the immensely popular monthly satire magazine Unmad. For 25 years, SF was the only subject and edited the short stories coming from West Bengal, India and Bangladesh. later, thriller, horror and myth was added.

He is also a successful cover designer and media organizer.

The Man Behind a Wall

Rumi is leading nearly 50 writers and translators in various ways, helped to publish many new books, specially SF, was the idea-giver of translating Western stories two decades ago which became very popular and even now, there is no photograph published in books and newspapers. He always helped new writers by giving plots, ideas and directions, was involved in many TV programs and remains isolated.

In `Ohok', Humayun Ahmed said that the flag of Science Fiction in Bangladesh will be on air by him.

Quotations

*"Well, not only is it about the story but also about science. In a way I am translating to inform people in interesting ways about science, and in effect, engage them in learning."
*"Asimov's a menace, he's written 800 books, and I just have to translate them all!"
*"Then there's that old hag Arthur C. Clarke who writes in that hardcore scientific way, and there's even room to translate Jules Verne, whose short stories are yet to be done."
* "Even the English version of Asimov and Clarke that pour into Dhaka are sold in a jiffy, that supports my belief of all these years that names like Asimov and Clarke had already been embedded into the psyche of the Bangali sci-fi followers, it was only a matter of making them more thirsty."

ome Works

Translations

*Ora Esechilo
*Hondo
*Morning Noon Night
*The Lion, the Witch and the Wordrobe
*Rendesvous with Rama

cience Fictions (Edited)

*Issac Asimov's Science Fiction 1-6
*Issac Asimov's Fantasy
*Arthur C. Clarke's Science Fiction 1-2
*Russian Science Fiction (Several)
*Robots are by Asimov
*Orion
*Ray Bradbury's Stories
*Dui Banglar Science Fiction

Other Works Edited by Him

*Stephen King's Stories
*Luis La'mour's Western Stories

External links

* [http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine/2004/03/02/interview.htm Interview] , The Daily Star, March 2, 2004.
* [http://www.onlinebanglabook.com/cgi-bin/search2.pl?start=60&perPage=15&search=science]
* [http://www.ruposhibangla.co.uk/RBL58_Bdesh.htm]
* [http://www.onlinebanglabook.com/cgi-bin/author.pl]
* [http://www.gronthamela.com/Book_Authors1.php?a=H]