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Published : 04 Oct 2025, 04:41 PM
Syed Manzoorul Islam, emeritus professor and eminent writer, has been admitted to Dhaka’s Labaid Hospital after suffering a heart attack.
The 73-year-old academic, widely regarded as one of Bangladesh’s leading literary figures, experienced what doctors described as a “massive heart attack” on Friday, according to Mazharul Islam, chief executive of publishing house Anyaprokash.
Doctors carried out surgery and fitted two stents in Manzoorul's heart shortly after he was taken to hospital, Mazharul said.
He is now under observation for 48 hours, he added.
Manzoorul was born on Jan 18, 1951, in Sylhet to Syed Amirul Islam and Rabeya Khatun. He completed his secondary education at Sylhet Government Pilot High School in 1966 and later studied at MC College in Sylhet.
He went on to enrol in the Department of English at Dhaka University, where he earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
In 1981, he obtained a PhD from Queen’s University in Canada for his thesis on the influence of Emanuel Swedenborg’s philosophy in the poetry of WB Yeats.
He spent most of his professional career teaching in the English Department of Dhaka University before retiring and later joining the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).
Over his long career, Manzoorul has been recognised with some of the country’s highest honours, including the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1996 and the Ekushey Padak in 2018.
His published works span fiction, essays and literary criticism. Among his best-known works are "Pustak Prakashona O Sampadana Prasanga", "Thaka Na Thakar Golpo", "Kach Bhanga Rater Golpo", "Andhokar O Alo Dekhar Golpo", "Adhkhana Manush", "Dinratriguli", "Ajgubi Rat", "Tin Porber Jibon", "Nondontotto", "Kotipoy Probondho", and "Alosh Diner Hawa".
