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Published : 10 Oct 2025, 02:10 PM
Syed Manzoorul Islam, an emeritus professor and renowned litterateur, has been put back on life support at Dhaka's Labaid Hospital, where he has been undergoing treatment since suffering a cardiac arrest earlier this month.
He was placed on ventilation support again on Friday after his condition deteriorated, according to Mazharul Islam, chief executive of the publishing house Anyaprokash.
“Sir’s condition is quite critical. Doctors are trying their best,” he said.
His family has urged well-wishers not to gather at the hospital and pray for his recovery, Mazharul added.
The former Dhaka University professor was admitted to the hospital on Oct 3 after suffering a heart attack. Following tests, doctors inserted two stents in his heart later.
He was put on ventilation support on the evening of Oct 5 when his condition became critical.
Citing doctors at the hospital, Bangla Academy Director Sarkar Amin said on Tuesday that he was able to breathe normally without ventilation support.
Since his hospitalisation, Mazharul has been regularly keeping track of Manzoorul's treatment.
“Sir's condition now is critical so he has been put on life support again. In his condition, he can’t be transferred to another hospital.”
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".
