A. T. M. Shamsuddin

A. T. M. Shamsuddin (1927 – 2009) was a Bangladeshi author, journalist, and translator, and a communist and union organizer.^[1] He was the general secretary of the East Pakistan Journalists Union and a member of the Chittagong All Party Language Movement Committee.^[2]

Names

Abu Taher Muhammad Shamsuddin was the name given by his family. Sometimes he uses Taher Shamsuddin and his pen name is Charubak.

Childhood

He was born in Chittagong, southern part of Bengal, later Bangladesh. His mother died when he was three years old. His father, Ahmedur Rahman, was an employee of the Kolkata port commission and remarried. His stepmother, his mother's cousin, also died. Shamsuddin was raised in his maternal uncle's house.

Active in politics

Shamsuddin was active against British colonial power and was jailed. When studying in class nine, he was assistant secretary of Zila Muslim Chatra League. He never graduated. Later, he was a strict communist and worked for the party while it remained underground. He joined the Pakistan Movement.

Editor

Shamsuddin first joined the Weekly The Daily Ittefaq. In 1961, he joined the Dhaka daily newspaper The Sangbad as an assistant editor. He served as editor for Udayan, Jubobarta, Soviet Somikkha, Soviet Review.

Career in Soviet Embassy

He worked at the Soviet embassy in Dhaka and was the general manager of the press information department. He retired after 21 years.

Personal life

Shamsuddin did not marry, needing to support his large family.

Works

He wrote many satire and adventure stories. In 1966, his first novel Bonanir Buke was published. Qazi Anwar Hussain inspired him and beginning in 1987, he wrote stories of Batamul in Rohosho Potrika. His first translation was Hoja Nasiruddin. He made many translations including Pakistan Jakhan Bhanglo, the memoirs of Lt. Gen. Gul Hassan Khan.^[3]

References