Syed Waliullah

• Name — Syed Waliullah • Pronunciation — soi̯̯ɔd̪ o̯aliulːaʱ • Native Name — সৈয়দ ওয়ালিউল্লাহ • Born — 15 August 1922 • Birthplace — Chittagong, Bengal Presidency, British India • Died — 10 October 1971 • Place of death — Meudon, France • Resting Place — Meudon, France • Occupation — * Novelist • short story writer • playwright • news editor • Education — Dhaka College Ananda Mohan College (1943) University of Calcutta • Awards — Ekushey Padak (posthumously) • Father — Syed Ahmadullah • Website — https: www.syedwaliullah.com/

Waliullah was born on 15 August 1922 at Sholashahar in Chittagong District to Nasim Ara Khatun and Syed Ahmadullah. His mother died when he was twelve. He has an elder brother, Syed Nasrullah. His father, Syed Ahmadullah, was a government officer. He was a district magistrate of British Raj period. Waliullah spent his childhood in Mymensingh, Feni, Krishnanagar and Kurigram. His notable novel, Lalsalu, was inspired by a shrine covered with red cloth that he would often pass when he lived in Mymensingh. Waliullah passed his matriculation examination in 1939 from Kurigram High School. He completed his IA from Dhaka College in 1941 and bachelor's from Ananda Mohan College in Mymensingh in 1943. He then moved to Calcutta to complete his master's in economics. But he couldn't complete his master's due to untimely demise of his father. He joined The Statesman newspaper and worked until 1947.

In 1947, Waliullah moved from Calcutta to Dhaka. He joined Radio Pakistan. In 1950, he was transferred to Karachi. In 1951, he started serving as the press attaché at the Pakistan missions in New Delhi, Sydney, Jakarta and London. In 1960, he was appointed as the First Secretary at the Pakistan embassy in Paris. In 1967, he joined the UNESCO in Paris.

Lalsalu tells the story of Majid, a poor man from a devout Muslim background. Majid comes to a remote village. He declares an old grave to be the Mazar that of a Pir, covers it with the traditional red cloth used for mausoleums, and establishes his stronghold on the life of the people using the reflected power on him of the supposed saint. The novel shows his struggle with other religious figures trying to establish dominance, the undercurrent of pagan ideas among the people, and his own weaknesses. The novel was adapted to a Tanvir Mokammel film with the same title in 2001.

Waliullah met Anne Marie Thibaud (1929–1997), a French woman, in Sydney. They were married in 1955 and had two children, Simine and Iraj. He was a cousin of Jamal Nazrul Islam, a physicist and mathematician. Waliullah died in Meudon in Paris on October 10, 1971.

• Novels • Lalsalu (Tree without roots), 1948 • Chander Amaboshay (Dark moon), 1963 • Kando Nadi Kando (Cry, o river), 1966 • The Ugly Asian, 1959 • Dramas • Bahipir (1955) • Tarangabhanga (1964) • Sudanga (1964) • Short story collection • Nayanchara (1945) • Dui Teer O Anyanya Galpa (1965)