Syed Mujtaba Ali was an author, educationist, scholar, linguist, and wayfarer. He travelled in pre-WWII Germany with very little money and would hitchhike often. His very popular book,
Bhabaghure O Anyanya[The Vagabond and Others] (1962), suggests this propensity. He first made his mark as a writer in the mid-1940s, as the British rulers were preparing to leave India. He soon developed immense popularity among the Bengali-speaking educated class in India and East Pakistan (later, Bangladesh). His travelogue,
Deshe Bideshe[Home and Abroad] was serialized in 1948-49 in
Desh, a literary magazine published from Kolkata.
Deshe Bideshe, translated into English as
In a Land Far from Homeby Nazes Afroz, was based on Ali’s experiences in Kabul, Afghanistan where he lived and worked between…
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Citation: Shibli, Abdullah. "Syed Mujtaba Ali". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 06 May 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14692, accessed 21 November 2024.]
