France’s renowned world literature dictionary, the Dictionnaire mondial des litteratures, has included national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. In the database published by Larousse, the internationally known French encyclopedia and dictionary publisher, Nazrul is presented as an important poet of the Bengali language.
According to Larousse, Kazi Nazrul Islam was born in Churulia in 1899 and died in Dhaka in 1977. A poet of the Bengali language, he was especially known as the “poete rebelle,” or “rebel poet.” His literary work is described there as lyric poetry rich in patriotism, social consciousness and humane inspiration. The dictionary cites “Agniveena” (1922) and “Bhangar Gan” as examples of Nazrul’s notable works.
According to Khorshed Alam Patwari, an adviser to the Kazi Nazrul Islam Centre in Paris and a Nazrul researcher, Nazrul’s inclusion in a recognized and long-established international literary encyclopedia in Europe is a significant example of the global recognition of Bengali literature and culture.
It is not just international recognition for a poet, he said, but also points to the global presence of the Bengali language and its literary heritage.
Sohel Ahmed, a poet and president of the Kazi Nazrul Islam Centre in Paris, said Kazi Nazrul Islam was not only Bangladesh’s poet but a poet of all humanity. His literature against injustice, discrimination and oppression still inspires the younger generation, he said.
He added that the organization was working steadily to make the national poet better known within the French community.
Larousse’s Dictionnaire mondial des litteratures is known for presenting extensive information on literature, writers and literary movements around the world.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report