Academic, fiction writer, translator and art critic professor emeritus Syed Manzoorul Islam was remembered through a programme titled ‘In memoriam: The Man Who Saw Light’ at Ramesh Chandra Majumdar Arts Auditorium at Dhaka University on Wednesday.
The event was organised by the DU English department to pay respect to the late Syed Manzoorul Islam who did his undergraduate and graduate at the department and joined the department in 1974 as a lecturer.
Syed Manzoorul died at a hospital in the capital Dhaka on October 10.
DU professor emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury, arts faculty dean professor Mohammad Siddikur Rahman Khan, professor Kaiser Mohammad Hamidul Haq, translator Fakrul Alam, Onno Prokas publishing house owner Mazharul Islam, journalist and poet Sajjad Sharif, professor Syed Anwarul Haq, among others, spoke at the event which was moderated by assistant professor of the department Sanjeeda Hossain.
Chairman of the department professor Tazin Aziz Chaudhury delivered the welcome speech at the event.
Serajul Islam Choudhury said that Syed Manzoorul Islam was always busy in academic, non-academic and organisational works.
Fakrul Alam said that he communicated with almost everyone and everything with a gentle approach, which made him popular among writers, artists and activists.
Sajjad Sharif said that Syed Manzoorul Islam co-authored a book with Bratya Raisu, which created a new style in Bengali prose.
Born on January 18, 1951, in Sylhet, Syed Manzoorul received PhD at Queen’s University in Canada in 1981. After retiring as a professor from the Dhaka University English department, he was appointed a professor emeritus in 2023.
Syed Manzoorul was honoured with numerous accolades, including the Ekushey Padak in 2018 and the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1996.
His noted works include Thaka Na Thakar Galpa, Andhakar O Alo Dekhar Galpa, Tin Parber Jiban and Nandantattwa.
