Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury / Tutul
Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury, known as Tutul, is a publisher, writer and editor from Bangladesh.
In 1990, Chowdhury started publishing and editing the magazine Shuddhashar, which soon became a platform for young and unconventional writers in Bangladesh. Chowdhury opened his publishing house in Dhaka in 2004, under the same name Shuddhashar, where he printed primarily works of open-minded and progressive writers in his country. In 2013, the publishing house was awarded the Shaheed Munir Chowdhury Award for publishing the highest number of best-sellers in Bangladesh. It is one of the most important publishing houses in Bangladesh.
Chowdhury is also a writer and has written short stories and poetry, some of which can be read on his blog http://ahmedurrashid.blogspot.no/ . His collection of poetry Nil Bishe Sish Kate Thot (Whistling Through Blue Poison) was published in 1995 by the Agami Prokashoni Publishing House, Dhaka. He has also contributed to the writers’ blog community http://en.sachalayatan.com/.
The publisher of the late American-Bangladeshi writer and blogger Avijit Roy and several others secular bloggers hacked to death since 2013 for their open-minded writings, Tutul has been living under constant trhreat since the killing of Avijit Roy in the streets of Dakha a year ago.
His publications includes Obishwaser (Philosophy of non-belief) written by the late Avijit Roy and Raihan Abir. Also Parthiba (Nothing is Divine), which is a collection of articles on secularism and rationalism, written by the late Ananta Bijoy Dash and Shoikot Chawdhury. These and other books published by Shuddhashar are seen as blasphemous by Islamic extremists in Bangladesh.
Following a series of fatal assaults on secular bloggers and publishers by extremists in Bangladesh, Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury was attacked by several men in his office in Dhaka in October 2015, scarcely surviving. He fled to Nepal while still under treatment and arrived in Skien City of Refuge in February 2016.
Bibliography
Self-Written Book
NIL BISHE SISH KATE THOT” (Whistling through Blue Poison), a poetry book of 52 pages, written by Ahmedur Rashid , published in1995, by AGAMI PROKASHONI, Dhaka.
Published Books as a Publisher
SOMOKAMITA; ekti boigganik ebong somaj-monostattik onusondhan (Homosexuality- a scientific and sociopsychological research) written by Abhijit Roy, first published in 2010 & second published in 2115, by SHUDDHASHAR, Dhaka. 247 pages.
BHALOBASHA KARE KOY; manob moner joibobigganio bhabna ( What is Love- some biological thoughts of the human mind) written by Abhijit Roy, first published in 2012 & second published in 2115, by SHUDDHASHAR, Dhaka. 295 pages.
OBISHWASER DORSHON ( Phylosophy of non-belief ) written by Abhijit Roy & Raihan Abir, first Published in 2011 & second published in 2112, by SHUDDHASHAR, Dhaka. 304 pages.
SHUNYO THEKE MOHABISHYO ( From Space to Universe) written by MIZAN RAHMAN & Abhijit Roy, first published in 2015, by SHUDDHASHAR, Dhaka. 400 pages.
PARTHIBA (a collection of Articles on Secularism & Rationalism), Written by Ananta Bijoy & Shoikot
Chawdhury. Published by Shuddhashar Publication, Dhaka, February, 2011. In English, Its title is “Nothing is Divine”. The book is of 140 pages.
SOVIET UNIONE BIGGAN O BIPLOB (Science & Revolution in Soviet Union), written by Ananta Bijoy Das. Published by Shuddhashar Publication, Dhaka, February, 2012. A book of total 214 pages, this is the first one in Bangladesh on the history of Soviet Science during the Stalin era.
Editor
Editor at magazine SHUDDHASHAR (A free thinking & literary based magazine) from 1990. A total of thirteen issues are published in different years.
In the media
17 May 2016: Global Journalist Project Exile: Bangladesh Publisher Survives Knife Attack
5 May 2016: The Association of American Publishers (AAP) Bangladeshi Publishing House to Receive International Freedom to Publish Award
9 April 2016: The Guardian Writers' refuge network celebrates 10 years of finding safe havens
7 April 2016: IHEU Tutul: the Survivor – An interview with the target of a Bangladesh machete attack
29 December 2015: The New York Times Magazine The Imperiled Bloggers of Bangladesh
2 November 2016: Paris Guardian Bangladeshis Outraged Over Attacks on Secular Publishers
1 November 2016: Dakha Tribune Medical Board formed for Tutul, Ranadipam, Tareq
31 October 2015: The Guardian Secular publisher hacked to death in latest Bangladesh attacks
31 October 2015: The New York Times 2 Men Who Published Writings Critical of Extremism Are Stabbed in Bangladesh
Writers from the same country
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