Novelist Writer Akhteruzzaman Elias 1943 - 1997

Akhteruzzaman Elias (Bangla: আখতারুজ্জামান ইলিয়াস)(February 16, 1943 - January 4, 1997), born in Gaibandha District, Bangladesh, is a famous novelist and short story writer. Though he wrote only two novels, critics place Elias in the pantheon of great Bengali novelists. In the context of the novels of Bangladesh, he is possibly the second person highest acclaimed after Syed Waliullah.

Novels

* Chilekothar Sepai(The Soldier in an Attic) (1987) - details the psychological journey of a man during the turbulent period just prior to Bangladeshi independence in 1971. This novel also contains what is arguably the most authentic description of life in Puran Dhaka, the old and distinctive part of Dhaka.

* Khoabnama (Tale of Dreams) (1996) - Khoabnama depicts the socio-political scene in rural pre-partition Bangladesh.

Short story collections

* Dojokher Om (The Warmth of Hell)
* Dudhbhate Utpat (No Peace in Milk and Rice)

Essay collections

* Shongskritir bhanga shetu (Broken Bridge of Culture)

Awards

Akhtaruzzaman Elias has received several awards.

* Humayun Kabir Smrti Puraskar (1977),
* Bangla Academy Award in Literature (1983),
* Alaol Sahitya Puraskar (1987),
* Ananda Puraskar (1996),
* Saadat Ali Akhand Puraskar (1996),
* Kazi Mahbubullah Gold Medal (1996), and
* Ekushey Padak (1999, posthumous).