Mohammad Nurul Huda

Mohammad Nurul Huda (Bengali: মোহাম্মদ নুরুল হুদা), (1949) is a Bangladeshi poet and novelist. He is recognized a major poet of 1960s, with more than fifty poetry books to his credit.

Poet Mohammad Nurul Huda in 2007

Life

Mohammad Nurul Huda was born to Mohammad Sekander and Anjuman Ara Begum in Poak Khali of Cox's Bazar district, Bangladesh on 30 September 1949. After high school, he studied English Literature at the Dhaka University and obtained his B. A. with Honours in 1970 and M. A. in 1972. He participated in training courses at the East West Centre, Hawaii. After graduaiton he taught English in a colleges for about five years and then at the Dhaka University for a brief period. His literary career commenced early and he emerged in 1960s as a promising modern poet. He is the President of the Bangladesh Writers’ Club.

Career

In 2007, Mohammad Nurul Huda retired as Director of Bangla Academy, Dhaka. He put in thirty four years service in this most prestigious scholalry institution of the country. Till date he works as the Executive Editor of the Bangla Academy Journal. At the Bangla Academy, he worked as the Project Director, Young Writers’ Project. He also served as the Executive Director of the Nazrul Institute, Dhaka. He was a Consultant of WIPO, Geneva. Currently he teaches English in Darul Ihsan University, Dhaka. Also, he contributes a regular column entitled Sadakotha (tr. Plain Tales) on social. political and cultural aspects of contemporary Bangladesh.

Literary Achievement

A leading prolific writer of the country with sizeable contribution in various branches of literature, Huda is best known as a poet. He is particularly acclaimed as jatisattar kobi meaning 'the poet of national identity'. A versatile writer, he is also widely known as an essayist, literary critic, translator, folklorist and IPR-specialist for copyright and traditional cultural expressions.
Mr Huda has also published two novels that brought him fame of a fiction writer with a difference. His Jonmajati (tr. Birthrace) published in February 1994 is being acclaimed as 'an open-ended postmodern novel signaling a significantly newer turn in the world of Bangla fiction'. The novel is also remarkable for its discovery of a unique folk universe, the background being the Lusai hills and the vast coastal area with a rare geographical setting of sea and hills and plains. The theme of this novel revolves around the genesis of mankind, emphasizing on the sexual behavior of the primitive dwellers of this part of the world as well as reexamining both the Biblical theory and Darwin's proposition of man's coming to this earth.

Mohammad Nurul Huda in 2007

Huda's translation of famous Turkish Poet Yunus Emre's poems in collaboration with Arshaduzzaman has been widely acclaimed at home and abroad. He has also translated Nazrul's famous poems entitled 'Kemal Pasha' and 'Wardrum' into English. He was decorated with state honour as an outstanding personality contributing to the promotion of Turkish-Bangladesh relations by S. Demirel, the President of Turkey during his Bangladesh visit marking the silver jubilee celebration of independence of Bangladesh on 25 March 1997.
The number of Huda's published titles (book-length) exceeds 100, of which 50 are poetry (including his selected poems, love poems, nationhood poems etc.), 9 essays and literary criticisms, 3 novels, 1 biography, 5 translations and the rest are compiled and edited ones. A list of his selected publications is given separately.

Journals and Magazines

Journals-Magazines edited and compiled by Huda are as follows :

• Poiema (1980) editor, poetry magazine in English
• Bangla Academy Patrika ( 1983–1992) executive editor
• Studies ( a bulletin on folklore from ICLCS, Dhaka, 1995) editor
• Kobita Club (little magazine, 1995), editor
• Nazrul Institute Patrika (from 1996 August to January 2001)
• Nazrul Institute Journal (from August 1997 to January 2001)
• Bangla Academy Journal (1983-2006 Sept.) executive editor

Awards

• Bangla Academy Literary Award (1988)
• Poet of International Merit (ISP, 1995)
• Poet of the Year nominated (ISP, Maryland, USA, 1995)
• President’s Honor from Turkey (1996)
• Mahadiganta Poetry Award (Calcutta), 2007
• Jessore Sahitya Parishad Award (1983)
• Abul Hasan Poetry Prize (1983)
• Alaol Award (1985)
• Awami Shilpa Sangbardhana (1987)
• Cox's Bazar Medal (1989)

Publications

Cover of the novel Jonmajati by Mohammad Nurul Huda

More than 100 titles in total to his credit as of February 2007. Some English titles are Selected Poems (poetry), Flaming Flowers : Poets’ Response to the Emergence of Bangladesh (research), Nazrul : an Evaluation (edited essays), Poetry of Kazi Nazrul Islam in English Translation (translated and edited with an introduction and notes), Nazrul’s Aesthetics and Other Aspects]] (essays), In Blissful Hell (translation). Wedding and Wild Kite (translation), Bangla Academy Journal (edited), Poiema (edited). Nazrul Institute Journal (edited). Methodology : Valuation of Identified TECs of Bangladesh. (research, Dhaka), Traditional Cultural Expressions (manuscript: 2006).

Poetry

He has published more as many as fifty poetry books to his credit till February 2007 as listed bwlow:

1. Shonite Somudropath (1972) 2. Amar Soshotro Shobdobahini (1975) 3. Shobhajatra Dravidar Proti (1975) 4. Ognimoyee He Mrinmoyee (1980) 5. Amra Tamate Jati (1981) 6. Shukla Shakuntala (1983) 7. Jesus Mujib (1984) 8. Nirbachito Kobita (1985) selected poems in Bengali 9. Honolulu O Onyananyo Kabita (1987) 10. Kusumer Phona (1988) 11. Baro Bochorer Golpo (1988) 12. Ek Jonome Lokkho Jonmo (1988) 13. Galiber Kache Khomaparthonapurbok (1989) 14. Ami Jodi Jolodas Tumi Jolodashi (1990) 15. Priyankar Jonyo Pongtimala (1992) 16. Jatisottar Kobita ( 1992) poems on nationhood 17. Yunus Emrer Kobita (1992) translations 18. Orokkhito Somoy (1993) 19. Telapoka (1993) rhymes 20. Bhindeshi Premer Kobita (1993) translations 21. Bhalobasar Bukpokete (1994) 22. Digonter Khosa Bhenge (1994) 23. Premer Kobita (1994) love poems 24. Lesbian Clouds and Other Poems (1994) 25. Bangla Academy Choraye Bornomala (1994) rhymes, 26. Priyo Pangtimala (1995), 27. Amar Kopaleo Somoyer Bhaiphonta (1995), 28. Mouladhunik (1995), 29. Mujibbari (1996), 30. Amar Churanta Shobdo Bhalobasa (1998), 31. Dekha Hole Eka Hoye Jai (1998), 32. Sicorax (1999), 33. Adishto Hoyechhi Ami Dirgho Jagorone (1999), 34. Smiritiputra (1999), 35. Hazar Kobita (2000) One Thousand Poems collected, 36. Kabyo Somogra (2001) Collected Poems, 37. Darianogor Kabyo (2001), 38. Swadhinatar Chora (2001) rhymes, 39. Pakhir Chora (2001) rhymes, 40. Satbhai Chompa (2001) rhymes, 41. Rajar Poshak (2001) rhymes, 42. Chander Buro Chander Buri (2001) rhymes, 43. Byangkumar (2001) rhymes, 44. Selected Poems (2003), 45. Padmaparer Dheusoar (2004), 46. Sursomudro (2005), 47. Punyobangla (2005), 48. Quorankabyo (2005) (Translation of Ampara in verse), 49. Somoi Maranor Golpo (2006), 50. Ami Ekti Khas Prajapatra Chai (2007).

Essays, Researches and Narrative Prose

51. Shortoheen Shorte (1981) essays on literature and aesthetics , 52. Lokkhon Songhita (1982) Homoeopathic Matera Medica, 53. Bhesojo Udbhid (1982), 54. Flaming Flowers : Poets' Response to the Emergence of Bangladesh (1994) essay, 55. Rabinroprokriti O Onyanya Probandha (1988) Essays on literature and aesthetics, 56. Sartre O Onyanya Prosongo (1993) literary essays , 57. Praner Minar Shahid Minar (1994) prose description for juvenile, 58. Srishtishilota O Onnanya (1999) essays, 59. Nazrul's Aesthetics and Other Aspects (2001) essays, 60. Nandonik Nazrul (2001) essays on Nazrul, 61. Monpoboner Nao (2005) travelogue, 62. Identification, Valuation and Intellectual Property Protection of Traditional Cultural Expressions of Bangladesh ( A draft report of about 500 pages submitted to WIPO, Genva in January 2005), 63. Methodology : Valuation of Identified TECs of Bangladesh. Trial pint 2006, Lokbangla, Dhaka.

Fiction, Travelogue and Prose

64. Mohanobi (1983) biography for children, 65. Jonmajati (1994) novel based on history and legends, 66. Bastuhara (1994) a novel based on Flannery O'Connor's story, 67. Moinpahar (1995) a novel based reality and legends, 68. Chotoder Nazrul Jibani (2001) biography for children, 69. Chotoder Rabindra Jibani (2001) biography for children, 70. Chotoder Begum Rokya (2001) biography for children, 71. Chotoder Jibanananda Das (2001) biography for children, 72. Chotoder Michael Madhusudan Datta (2001) biography for children, 73. Monpoboner Nao (2005) travelogue

Translation

74. Poribortaner Pothe (1972) essay, 75. Agamemnon (1987) drama, 76. In Blissful Hell (1993) novel, 77. Flannery O'Connorer Golpo (1997) stories, 78. Romeo Juliet (1998) Shakespeare’s story retold, 79. Neel Somudrer Jhor (1998) Shakespeare’s story retold, 80. Wedding and Wild Kite (2001), 81. Hason Raja (Subtitles of a film, 2001).

Books edited and compiled

82. Kobi Madhusudhan (1984) editor, collection of essays, 83. Kovita 1390 (1984) editor, collection of poetry, 84. Shahid Buddhijibi Sharane Kobitaguccha (1984) editor, collection of poetry, 85. Humayun Kabir Racanabali (1984) editor, collected works of Humayun Kabir, 86. Kobita 1391 (1985) editor, collection of poetry, 87. Abul Hasaner Ogronthito Kobita (1986) one of the three editors of Abul Hasan's poetry collection, 88. Bangladesher Nirbacita Kobita (1988) editor, Selected Poems from Bangladesh, 89. Homoeopathy Paribhasha (1989) one of the two compilers, 90. Kobita : GonoAndolan (1991) editor, collection of poetry, 91. Tales to Tell (1991) editor and compiler of a supplementary Reader in English for secondary level, 92. Stories for the Young (1991) editor and compiler of a supplementary Reader in English for secondary level, 93. Bangla Academy English-Bengali Dictionary (1993) a compiler, 94. Shotabdir Sreshtho Premer Pongkti (1995) editor, best love poems of the century, 95. Songkhipto Bangla Obhidhan (1995), a compiler of this dictionary, 96. Jatiya Prjaye Nazrul Janmabarshiki Udjapan Smarakgrantha 1996 (1996), 97. Nazrul : An Evaluation (1997), 98. Nazrul Sangeeter Swaralipi Sangkalan (1997), 99. Adi Rekordbhittik Nazrul Sangeeter Bani Sangkalan (1997), 100. Nazruler Nirbachito Prabandha (1997), 101. Nazruler Harano Ganer Khata (1997), 102. Poetry of Kazi Nazrul Islam in English Translation (1997) 103. Nazrul Barshapanji (1998, 1999), 104. Janmashatabarshe Nazrulke Nibedita Kabita (1999), 105. Nazruler Maktab Shahitya (2001), 106. Nazruler Langal (2001), 107. Shatabdir Shreshtho Premer Kabita (Love poems edited, 2005), 108. Religious Study (English translator) for Class VI and V (2006, Bangladesh Text Book Board).

Work on Intellectual Property

Poet-author Mohammad Nurul Huda has been working on matters relating to intellectual property since last few years. On 12 December 2007 he presented a seminal work at the Top Level Forum on Intellectual Property organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO/OMPI), held in Geneva, Switzerland. The main focus of his paper was Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Traditional Cultural Expressions (TCE). He presented an estimation of the value of yearly transaction TCE in Bangladesh.

External links

• Books of Mohammad Nurul Huda Online
• Bangladeshinovels.com
• A Bangla-language Critique on His Novels

Persondata
Name	Huda, Mohammad Nurul
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Date of birth	1949
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