Poet Al Mahmud has died at a hospital in Dhaka at the age of 82.
He breathed his last at the Ibn Sina Hospital at 11:05 pm on Friday, Abid Azam, an aide to the poet, said.
The poet had been suffering from different geriatric problems.
He was admitted to the hospital’s Coronary Care Unit last Saturday after he had fallen sick, and later transferred to the Intensive Care Unit as his health worsened.
Al Mahmud was put on life support around 10:00 pm on Friday.
Born at Morhail village in Brahmanbarhia on July 11, 1936, Mir Abdus Shukur Al Mahmud took the pen name Al Mahmud.
He wrote ‘Kaler Kalas’ in the 60s when simple romantic love, nature and man became the main themes of poetry in Bangla literature.
His 'Lok Lokantar', published in the same decade, represents another genre of poetry that flourished at the time and expressed the fatigue, failure and despair of contemporary life.
As Bangla poetry of the time gradually moved towards a concern for the masses, Al Mahmud's 'Sonali Kabin' was published after independence.
He also penned novels ‘Dahuki’, ‘Kobi O Kolahor’ and ‘Nishinda Nari’. His short-story books include ‘Pankourir Rakto’, and ‘Shourobher Kachhe Porajito O Gandhabanik’, bdnews24.com reported.
Besides the Bangla Academy Award, he was also honoured with the Ekushey Padak, Joy Bangla Sahityo Puroshkar, among others.
Al Mahmud was involved with journalism for a long time. He worked in many of the national dailies.
He had headed the country desk at The Daily Ittefaq before independence and edited the Dainik Ganokantho after the Liberation War.
He had also served as a director of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.
