Eminent academic Syed Manzoorul Islam on life support

Eminent academic and writer Syed Manzoorul Islam, emeritus professor of English at the University of Dhaka, has been placed on life support after his condition deteriorated this evening (5 October).

A LabAid Hospital official, requesting anonymity, told The Business Standard that Manzoorul Islam suffered a heart attack on Friday (3 October) and was admitted to the hospital, where he underwent stenting.

His condition worsened around 5pm today, prompting doctors to place him on life support.

According to hospital sources, Manzoorul Islam fell ill in his car on Friday while on his way to the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) in Dhanmondi. His driver, with the help of a passerby, first took him to a nearby hospital before he was transferred to LabAid.

Born on 18 January 1951, in Sylhet, Syed Manzoorul Islam is the son of Syed Amirul Islam and Rabeya Khatun. He completed his Secondary School Certificate from Sylhet Government Pilot High School in 1966 and his Higher Secondary Certificate from MC College, Sylhet and later earned his BA and MA in English from Dhaka University.

In 1981, he obtained his PhD from Queen's University in Canada, focusing on the influence of Emanuel Swedenborg's philosophy on the poetry of WB Yeats.

A retired professor of the Department of English at Dhaka University, where he was acclaimed as one of the department's most popular teachers, he later joined the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB).

Among his notable works are 'Thaka Na Thakar Golpo', 'Kaanch Vanga Rater Golpo', 'Andhakar o Alo Dekhar Golpo', 'Adhkhana Manushyo', 'Dinratriguli', 'Ajgubi Rat', 'Tin Porber Jibon', and 'Nandantattwa'.

Syed Manzoorul Islam received the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1996 and the Ekushey Padak in 2018 for his outstanding contributions to Bangla literature.