Humayun Ahmed

In 1973, Ahmed married Gultekin Ahmed. Together they had four children; three girls: Nova, Sheela, and Bipasha, and a son named, Nuhash.

In the 1990s, Ahmed had an affair with a much younger woman, his daughter's friend and actress, Meher Afroz Shaon. After 30-years of marriage, Ahmed called it quits with Gultekin in 2003 and married Shaon in 2005. Shaon and Ahmed had two sons: Nishad and Ninit.

Ahmed died of colorectal cancer on 19 July 2012, in New York City. He was buried in his estate at Nuhas Polli in Bangladesh.

Humayun Ahmed was born on November 13, 1948 in Mohongonj, Netrokona to Faizur Rahman Ahmed and Ayesha Foyez. He was the eldest of five children.

Humayun’s father, a police officer and writer, was killed in 1971 by the Pakistani military during the liberation war of Bangladesh.

Creativity ran in his family. His mother was a Bengali writer, while his younger brothers, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal and Ahsan Habib are writer and artists in their own right.

Due to his father’s official position as a police officer, Ahmed went to schools in a number of different places including Sylhet, Dinajpur and Bogra. In many of Ahmed’s writings, he tells memories of growing up and going to school in these different locations.

In 1965, he passed his Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Examination in Bogra Zilla School and was listed as second in merit on the Rajshahi Education Board

In 1972, Ahmed’s first novel (which he wrote as a student) ‘Nondito Noroke’ (In Blissful Hell) was published by Khan Brothers. The novel was greatly admired by the literary critics.

In 1983, his television career kicked off with his television drama, ‘Prothom Prohor’ (First Moment), directed by Nawazesh Ali Khan. His television resume continued to grow with series in genres such as drama, comedy and history.

His most talked about television series was ‘Kothao Keu Nei’ (There is no one in anywhere). This dramatic series' main character was a gang leader who was executed. Fans became so obsessed with this series, that they often wrote to Ahmed and begged him to change the script so that the main character lived.

In addition to his television series’, Ahmed wrote and directed films that were based around his life experiences. Some of his major films included: 'Aguner Poroshmoni', 'Shyamal Chhaya' and 'Ghetuputra Kamola'

In 2012, Humayun Ahmed was appointed as a special adviser to the Bangladesh Mission in the United Nations.

In 1972, Ahmed’s first novel ‘Nondito Noroke’ (In Blissful Hell) was published by Khan Brothers under the supervision of poet-novelist Ahmod Sofa. Ahmed Sharif, a scholar of Bangla language, wrote the introductory speech in Ahmed’s first novel. The novel received great critical acclaim from the literary critics.

In 1994, Ahmed wrote and directed his first film, titled ‘Aguner Poroshmoni’. The film was based on the liberation war of Bangladesh and included his memories of the war, including his father’s death.