The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) is deeply saddened by the passing of its Board Member, eminent academic and writer, Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam.
Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam, Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Dhaka, passed away today, 10 October 2025, while undergoing treatment at LabAid Hospital, Dhaka.
He was one of Bangladesh’s most respected academics and literary figures — a teacher, critic, art historian, and award-winning fiction writer. Alongside his long association with the University of Dhaka, he also taught at the Department of English and Humanities at BRAC University. His teaching and writings spanned areas as diverse as Elizabethan drama, literary theory, and cultural studies.
Throughout his career, Professor Islam remained deeply engaged with Bangladesh’s social, political, and cultural life, particularly in how these shape the minds of young people. He regularly wrote on these issues in the national dailies and consistently advocated for quality education and social mobility.
His contributions to Bangla literature earned him the Bangla Academy Award (1996), Prothom Alo Book of the Year Award (2005), and Kagaj Sahitya Puraskar (2006).
CPD has lost a guardian and leader who steered CPD through his profound wisdom and progressive insights. The CPD family expresses sincere condolences to the members of his bereaved family.
May his departed soul rest in peace.
