Farida Majid
Farida Majid (July 27, 1942 – September 28, 2021; Bengali: ফরিদা মজিদ) was a Bangladeshi poet, translator, and academic.
Part of the first generation of Bangladeshi writers producing English-language work, Majid was an influential member of the London literary scene in the 1970s, when she ran the independent Salamander press. She then spent two decades as a professor of language and culture in New York before returning to Bangladesh in her later years.
Early life and education
Farida Majid was born in 1942 in Kolkata, India.[1][2][3] Her mother, Jochna, was the eldest daughter of the Bengali writer Golam Mostofa.[1][2][3] Majid began writing at a young age, and her poet grandfather encouraged and guided her early work.[1][2][3] She published her first poem at age 10 in a Bengali newspaper called The Age.[4]
After completing grade school, she first attended
Career
Majid is best known for her work as a poet, essayist, and translator.[1] She is considered a member of the first generation of Bangladeshi writers in English.[8]
A prolific poet, throughout her career she published both poetry and essays in various periodicals, but only published one book of her own writing, the poetry collection Ganda Phuler Proyan o Jara Benche Thakbe.[1][2][3][5]
In addition to her own work, she translated Bangladeshi literature, including the writing of such authors as Humayun Azad, into English, as well as English literature into Bengali.[1][3][9] She also translated from Arabic to Bengali, including parts of the Quran.[1] In 1974, she worked as an editor and translator to produce the anthology Take Me Home, Rickshaw: Poems by Contemporary Poets of Bangladesh.[2][10] She also edited a 1977 collection of English-language poems titled Thursday Evening Anthology.[10][6]
From 1974 to 1980, Majid served as managing editor of the London-based publisher Salamander.[2][5][11] She also ran its eponymous literary magazine, which published essays, poetry, fiction, and works in translation.[1]
However, in late 1979 she was forced to leave the United Kingdom, having been denied residency by British authorities despite a support campaign by various influential figures including the poet Ted Hughes.[4][7][12][13] She moved to the United States, as she retained U.S. citizenship due to her previous marriage.[4][12] There, she took up various teaching posts in the New York area, including at Columbia University, where she taught Bengali language and literature from 1984 to 1989; the City University of New York, where she taught language, writing, and cultural studies from 1991 to 2005; and the College of New Rochelle.[1][2][3] While at the City University of New York, she taught at the Hostos Community College, LaGuardia Community College and York College.[14][15]
Activism
Majid was active in anti-Pakistan protests in London during the 1971
Later years and death
After four decades abroad, Majid returned to Bangladesh in 2006.[2][3] She died in September 2021, while undergoing cancer treatment in Dhaka.[1][2][3] On her death, fellow poet Razu Alauddin described her as a writer and academic who was "way ahead of her time."[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Sadiq, Dhrubo (2021-09-28). "Poet, essayist Farida Majid dies". New Age. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Poet Farida Majid no more". The Daily Star. 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Poet Farida Majid dies". Daily Sun. 2021-09-29. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Poetic fire". The Guardian. 1976-11-18.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-134-46848-5.
- ^ a b "News & Notes". PN Review. 42 (4): 3–6. March–April 2016 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b "Protests as poet is deported". The Observer. 1979-09-09.
- ^ Bashir, Syed (2013-06-08). "Where's "The Black Coat"". bdnews24. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
- ISBN 978-3-11-081324-1.
- ^ a b "A Brief History of Bangladeshi Writing in English". Dhaka Courier. 2010-07-01 – via ProQuest.
- JSTOR 44339030.
- ^ a b "Slings and arrows". Evening Standard. 1982-01-04.
- ^ "Staying on". Evening Standard. 1979-07-03.
- ISBN 9780964995703
- ^ "Farida Majid profile", Academia.edu website. Retrieved April 6, 2024.