Shamsur Rahman (শামসুর রাহমান), a Bengali poet, columnist and journalist was born on 23 October 1929, in his grandfather’s house in Nanabari of Mahuttuli, an area in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He was the fourth of thirteen children He matriculated from Pogos High School 1945 and took his I.A. examination as a student in the Dhaka College.

During his leisure time after the matriculation, Shamsur read Golpoguchchho (Collection of Short Stories) by Rabindranath Tagore. The stories entranced him and opened up the extraordinary world of Bengali literature to him. He had already been writing poetry from the age of eighteen. In 1949, his poem 'Unissho Unoponchash' (Nineteen Forty-nine) was published in Sonar Bangla (Golden Bengal), which was then edited by Nalinikishore Guha. While a university student, five of his poems were published in Natun Kavita (New Poems) (1950), an anthology of poems of thirteen young poets, edited by Ashraf Siddiqui and Abdur Rashid Khan. This launched his poetical talent and attracted attention of the literary intellectuals.

Shamsur Rahman studied English literature at the Dhaka University for three years but did not take the qualifying examination. After a break of three more years, he got admitted to the B.A. pass course and received his Bachelor’s degree in 1953. Subsequently he also received Masters degree in the same subject. After completing his formal education, he earned his livings for many years as the editor of the daily newspaper Dainik Bangla and other publications. Shamsur Rahman’s poems and other writings romanticized the rebellion of the youth, liberal humanism and human relations. The political events in Bangladesh at that time and his opposition to the religious fundamentalism also had an impact on the young poet. His first book of poems ‘Prothom Gan Dwitiyo Mrityur Aage’ (First Song, Before the Second Death), published in 1960, established him in the top tier of poets and received appreciation of the critics. He was awarded the Adamjee Prize by then President Ayub Khan himself. (Even though in his poem 'Hatir Shund' (Elephant's Trunk) Rahman had satirized Ayub Khan's seizure of power.) The publication of his poem 'Rupali Snan' (Silvery Shower) in Calcutta's journal Kavita, edited by Buddhadeva Bose, signaled his arrival in the wider literary arena of West Bengal, India.

Even before publication of these poems, his poetry had undergone a significant change. He had quickly come out of the clogged literary remorse of the thirties when he wrote his next book of poems, Roudra Karotite(In the dreadful skull) (1963). His poems were now appearing regularly in the highly acclaimed quarterly journal Songlap (Conversation), jointly edited by Abul Hossain and Syed Sajjad Hossain.

In the meantime, The world outside had begun to cast a shadow on his poems. His poems in the book Bidhvasta Nilima (The Shattered Blue) (1967) were a step further into his awareness of the world outside. He dedicated his 1970 book Nijo Bashbhumey (In my own motherland) to the martyrs of the independence struggle of Bengal. The reflection of this turbulent time can be seen in every line of his poems 'Barnamala, Amar Duhkhini Barnamala' (My Sad Mother Tongue), 'February 1969', 'Police Report', 'Hartal' (Strike) and 'Ei Laash Amra Rakhbo Kothay?' (Where Can We Place This Corpse?). In these poems a new kind of rebellion gushes out in both his thoughts and language, as if the extreme cruelty of that time had snatched away all modesty of language.

Shamsur Rahman’s translated works form a significant part of his overall poetical output. Among his translations are Eugene O'Neil's Marco Millions (1967), Robert Frost's Nirbachita Kavita (Selected Poems) (1968), Khwaja Farider Kavita (Poems of Khwaza Farida) (1969) and Tennessee Williams' Hridoyer Ritu (Seasons of the Heart) (1971). He did these works at different times at the request of different people. His last work of translation—done after a lapse of nearly two decades—was Shakespeare's Hamlet.

A prolific writer, Rahman is considered a key figure in Bengali literature from the latter half of the 20th century. He earned the designation “Unofficial Poet Laureate of Bangladesh” with more than 60 volumes of heartfelt, often fiercely patriotic poetry.

In 1971 during the freedom movement, Shamsur Rahman took his family and moved to Paratoli village in Narsingdi. His best-known poem, 'Swadhinota tumi' (“You, Freedom”), and “Tomake Paoar Jonyo, Hey Swadhinata’ (To win you, Freedom) was composed during the height of the war for independence from Pakistan. In 1987 he resigned from the post of Chief Editor of Dainik Bangla publication to protest against the then Government. In the next four years he wrote many of his famous protesting poems, “Srinkhal Muktir Kobita’ (Poems of Breaking Free), ‘Swairacharer Biruddhe Kobita’ (Poems against autocracy), ‘Samprodaikotar biruddhe Kobita’ (Poems against sectarianism) and ‘Santraser biruddhe Kobita’ (Poems against terror). After Ershad’s fall in 1991, he wrote ‘Ganatantrer pokkhe Kobita’ (Poems for democracy). All these poems portrayed his anti-sectarian mentality and boundless empathy for the common people.

Shamsur was married to Zohra Begum and had three sons and two daughters. On 17th August 2006 Shamsur Rahman passed away of natural causes and was buried in Dhaka, next to his mother.

—Shinjini Paul

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