Bangla Academy picks 10 for literary award

Ten personalities have been chosen for the Bangla Academy Sahitya Puroshkar (Bangla Academy Literary Award) 2019, reports UNB. 

Bangla Academy director general Habibullah Siraji announced the names at a press conference at the academy's Poet Shamsur Rahman Auditorium on Thursday.

The award recipients are former home minister Rafiqul Islam (literature on Liberation War), Makid Haider (poetry), Wasi Ahmed (literature), Swarochish Sarkar (essay/research), Khairul Alam Sabuj (translation), Rahim Shah (children's literature), Ratan Siddiqui (drama), Nadira Majumder (science fiction), Faruk Moinuddin (autobiography/travelogue) and Simon Zakaria (folklore).
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina will distribute the award among the recipients at the inaugural ceremony of the month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair on 2 February.
The winners will receive a cheque for Tk 200,000 and crests each.
Bangla Academy Sahitya Puroshkar is given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh in recognition of creative genius in advancement and overall contribution to the field of Bengali language and literature.
This year marks the diamond jubilee (60 years) of this prestigious award, which was launched in 1960.
A total of 307 litterateurs have so far received the award.