Professor Abul Kasem Fazlul Haq, noted essayist, writer, reaearcher, President of Bangla Academy and former chairman of the Department of Bangla at the University of Dhaka, has passed away.
He passed away Sunday afternoon after suffering cardiac arrest. He was 85.
Bangla Academy's Director General, Mohammad Azam, confirmed the death, saying it occurred sometime between 2:30pm and 3pm.
According to his daughter-in-law, Razia Rahman, Haq had gone out to eat at a restaurant in Mirpur when he suddenly fell ill. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Born on September 30, 1940, in the Pakundia upazila of Kishoreganj, Haq completed both his bachelor's and master's degrees in the Bengali Department at Dhaka University before joining the same department as a faculty member. He went on to teach there for four decades and, at one point, served as department chairman.
Widely known across Bangladesh's intellectual circles as an essayist, literary critic, researcher, translator, and political thinker, Haq built a reputation through his writing and research on the state, society, culture, politics, and literature. He wrote or edited more than two dozen books over his career and for many years edited the literary magazine Lokayat.
In recognition of his contributions to literature and scholarship, he received the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1981. In October 2024, he was appointed president of the Bangla Academy.
His death has cast a shadow of grief over the country's literary, educational, and academic communities.
No details about funeral prayers or burial arrangements have yet been announced by the family.
