Daud Haider

{{Short description|Bangladeshi poet (1952–2025)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Daud Haider

| native_name = দাউদ হায়দার

| native_name_lang = bn

| image = DaudHaider2007-Frankfurt.jpg

| caption = Haider in 2007

| birth_date = {{birth date|1952|2|21|df=y}}

| birth_place = Dohar, Pabna District, East Bengal, Pakistan

| death_date = {{death date and age|2025|04|26|1952|2|21|df=yes}}

| death_place = Berlin, Germany

| nationality = Bangladeshi

| occupation = Writer, poet

| relatives = Makid Haider, Zia Haider (siblings)

}}

Daud Haider (21 February 1952 – 26 April 2025) was a Bangladeshi{{cite news |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/ghaas-babu-of-kolkata/|title=Ghaas babu of Kolkata|date=18 April 2015|work=The Indian Express|access-date=27 April 2016}} poet who was forced into exile after writing a poem that "insulted" religions, including Islam.{{cite news |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/supplements/the-struggle-memory-against-oblivion-186661|title=The struggle of memory against oblivion|date=13 December 2015|work=The Daily Star|access-date=27 April 2016}} American Center, PEN International have described him as a "distinguished poet".{{cite web|url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/1985/10/24/the-case-of-daud-haider/|title=The Case of Daud Haider|last=Vonnegut|first=Kurt Jr.|last2=Sontag|first2=Susan|website=The New York Review of Books|access-date=27 April 2016|last3=Olsen|first3=Tillie|last4=Olds|first4=Sharon|last5=Kennerly|first5=Karen}}{{cite web|url=http://scroll.in/article/727170/why-secular-expression-is-being-killed-in-bangladesh-one-blogger-at-a-time|title=Why secular expression is being killed in Bangladesh, one blogger at a time|last=Ahmed|first=K. Anis|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US|access-date=27 April 2016}}

Early life

Haider was born on 21 February 1952 at Dohar of Pabna district.{{cite news |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/in-a-language-reborn/|title=In A Language Reborn|date=4 March 2016|work=The Indian Express|access-date=27 April 2016}}

Career

Haider's poetic style has been described as more focused on "feeling of the masses".{{cite web|url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bangla_Literature|title=Bangla Literature |website=Banglapedia|access-date=27 April 2016}} He was the literary editor of the Dainik Sambad based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He wrote a poem criticizing religion.{{cite news |url=http://www.dw.com/en/atheist-bloggers-flee-bangladesh/a-18708933|title=Atheist bloggers flee Bangladesh {{!}} Asia |work=Deutsche Welle |date=11 September 2015 |access-date=27 April 2016}} He was physically attacked for his works. He was imprisoned by the government of Bangladesh. President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was blamed for forcing him into exile.{{Cite news |url=http://www.mid-day.com/articles/another-voice-is-silenced-by-islamists/16024172|title=Another voice is silenced by Islamists|work=mid-day|access-date=27 April 2016}} His ancestral house was destroyed by arson and one of his relatives was killed. He moved to exile in Kolkata, India before moving to Berlin, Germany.{{cite news |url=http://indianexpress.com/profile/columnist/daud-haider/|title=Daud Haider|work=The Indian Express|access-date=27 April 2016}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/bangladeshs-battle-against-extremism/article8495206.ece|title=Battle for Bangladesh’s soul|date=20 April 2016|newspaper=The Hindu|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X|access-date=27 April 2016}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/the-writing-life-around-the-world-by-electric-literature/2015/dec/09/things-we-dont-write-k-anis-ahmed-on-the-murdered-writers-of-bangladesh|title=Things we don't write: K Anis Ahmed on the murdered writers of Bangladesh|last=Ahmed|first=K. Anis|date=9 December 2015|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=27 April 2016}}

Personal life and death

Haider was an atheist. He died on 26 April 2025, at the age of 73.{{Cite web |title=Poet Daud Haider passes away |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/people/379730/poet-daud-haider-passes-away |access-date=27 April 2025 |website=Dhaka Tribune |language=en}}

Awards

  • "The best poem of Asia" from the London-based Poetry Society award in 1973.

References