Syed Mujtaba Ali

Abdullah Shibli (Boston University)

Ed. by Niaz Zaman, Independent University Bangladesh
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.3.2: Pakistani and Bangladeshi Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Claire Gallien (Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3), Sarker Hasan Al Zayed (Independent University Bangladesh), Pavan Kumar Malreddy (J W Goethe University of Frankfurt), Delphine Munos (Université de Liège), Muneeza Shamsie (Independent Scholar - Asia), Niaz Zaman (Independent University Bangladesh)

Dates

Born 13 Sep 1904
Died 11 Feb 1974

Places

Born in India
Active in Bangladesh

Activities

Primary

Journalist
Linguist
Prose writer

Resources

Ali's Works

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Syed Mujtaba Ali was an author, educationist, scholar, linguist, and wayfarer. He travelled in pre-WWII Germany with very little money and would hitchhike often. His very popular book,

Bhabaghure O Anyanya

[The Vagabond and Others] (1962), suggests this propensity. He first made his mark as a writer in the mid-1940s, as the British rulers were preparing to leave India. He soon developed immense popularity among the Bengali-speaking educated class in India and East Pakistan (later, Bangladesh). His travelogue,

Deshe Bideshe

[Home and Abroad] was serialized in 1948-49 in

Desh

, a literary magazine published from Kolkata.

Deshe Bideshe

, translated into English as

In a Land Far from Home

by Nazes Afroz, was based on Ali’s experiences in Kabul, Afghanistan where he lived and worked between…

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2593 words

Citation: Shibli, Abdullah. "Syed Mujtaba Ali". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 May 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14692, accessed 26 November 2024.]