Maidul Hasan, Mohon Raihan among 9 named for Bangla Academy Literary Award

The Bangla Academy has announced nine recipients for the Bangla Academy Literary Award 2025, recognising writers across eight categories.

The academy’s Public Relations Department released the list in a statement on Monday.

The awardees are Mohon Raihan for poetry, Nasima Anis for fiction, Syed Azizul Haque for essays and prose, Hasan Hafiz for children’s literature, Ali Ahmad for translation, Mustafa Majid and Israil Khan for research, Farseem Mannan Mohammedy for science writing, and Maidul Hasan for works on the Liberation War.

Reacting to the announcement, poet Mohon Raihan said that he was unaware his name had been included on the list.

“I didn’t even know whether my name was on the award list. I’ve just heard it from you,” he said.

“For more than 40 years, people have been reading my poems in different places. That itself is my award. The love of readers is my real recognition, and I have been receiving that for a long time.”

Traditionally, the prime minister presents the awards at the opening ceremony of the month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair. However, this year the fair did not begin on Feb 1 due to the 13th parliamentary election.

The awards will be formally presented by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the inauguration of the Ekushey Book Fair on Feb 26.