Ali Anwar, a retired professor of Rajshahi University English Department, has died at a hospital in New York on Monday night, said a press release of the university.
He was 79.
The renowned writer had been undergoing treatment in the ‘Long Island Jewish Hospital’ at New York in USA for Liver and Kidney disease. He had been living in USA for several years with his eldest daughter.
He left behind his wife, two sons, two daughters and many well wishers to mourn his death.
His body will arrive at Dhaka on the upcoming Friday and will be buried at Mirpur Shaheed Buddhijibi graveyard with state honour, family sources said.
RU Vice-Chancellor Prof Muhammad Mizanuddin and Pro-VC Prof Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan expressed their deep shock upon the death.
Prof Anwar joined in the university’s English Department in 1962 and retired in 2001. The former chairman of the English Department also served his duty as an Academic Council Member.
While recalling his contribution as a teacher of the university, English Department Associate Professor Abdullah-al-Mamun said: “Prof Ali Anwar was among the respected personalities in the university. As a professor of English literature, he wrote a book on Ibsen and was interested on Drama.”
Mamun, who was Prof Anwar’s student, further said: “Besides, he has some fabulous translation works. He translated several English plays into Bangla and works of Hasan Azizul Haq into English.
He wrote many articles in Bangla also,” he added.
Prof Ali Anwar had written some 10 books and had been honoured with the Bangla Academy award in 2006, in the essay category.
