The 2nd anniversary of the death of renowned writer and publisher Qazi Anwar Hossain, who created the fictional character Masud Rana and the eponymous spy-thriller series, will be observed today.
Born on July 19, 1936, Qazi Anwar Hossain, son of Qazi Motahar Hossain, a renowned scientist, writer and national professor, established Seba Prakashani in 1960 and became a prominent publishing figure in Bangla paperback literature.
He not only wrote spy thriller, detective and adventure-based novels but his publication house Seba also gave birth to writers, including Sheikh Abdul Hakim, Rakib Hasan, Niaz Murshed, Asaduzzaman, Masud Mahmud, Khosru Chowdhury, Tipu Kibriya and Anish Das Opu. Seba was also set on fire in 1971 by the then Pakistani occupation forces.
For his contribution to Bangla literature, he received several awards, including the Bangla Academy Literary Award, Independence Award and Bachsas Award for Best Screenplay and Dialogue for the film Masud Rana.
Qazi Anwar Hossain passed away on January 19, 2022 in Dhaka.
