Measuring the success of a writer is a tricky thing to do. You need to determine what you consider to be the measuring stick of success. Popularity? Depth? Longevity? Impact on literature? Impact on society? There can be a variety of factors to consider, which makes it very tough to evaluate an author’s success. And when the author in discussion is Humayun Ahmed, it becomes all the more difficult.
Humayun Ahmed published over 200 books over almost 4 decades. Not only did he dominate the domestic market with incredible number of sales, he managed to thwart established writers such as Sunil Gangopadhyay, Samaresh Majumder, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay from the top of the West Bengal market and establish himself as the undisputed king of Bangla literature. He had no competition at the top; his popularity transcended the boundaries of literature as he explored entertainment in the form of dramas and cinemas – and he managed to cement his status as an icon of entertainment hardly ever seen before in Bangladesh. The influence of his creations was such that public protests took place when they did not want to see a fictional character die in the popular TV show, Kothao Keu Nei. In short, he may have been not only the most popular figure in the literature industry, but arguably the most popular figure in all of popular Bangladeshi entertainment.
So, where does any question of failure come in, at all, regarding the career of Humayun Ahmed? A career of this magnitude surely cannot be called overrated?
Interestingly enough, it has been. Nowhere more so than inside Bangladesh. Humayun Ahmed has often been called someone who produced a ridiculous number of books that lacked any significant substance. He has been dubbed as repetitive, lazy, and overrated. His historical fictions have often come under scrutiny due to unverified information. Humayun Ahmed once talked to famous Indian writer Samaresh Majumder about what he thinks of himself as an author, and what his critics think of his as well:
“Every dog is a lion at home. I will never be anywhere near the caliber of Tarashonkor (Bondopaddhay), Bibhutibhushon (Bondopaddhay), or Samaresh Basu. Those who don’t like me say that those who don’t start reading my books at the age of 15-16 are not good readers. However, those who continue to read my books after they’re 24 aren’t good readers as well.”
-Samaresh Majumder, Anandabazar
Humayun Ahmed has been immensely popular, no doubt about that. However, that popularity has been called into question, with critics stating that all Humayun Ahmed did was feed the people’s sentimental needs with his often shallow and repetitive novels. And they have a case, to be fair. Humayun Ahmed himself talked about this to Samaresh Majumder:
“People say that if they start reading one of my books, they can’t put it down until they finish the whole book. But I only write these books because I can’t write what I want to. You asked me why there is almost no discussion about the contemporary political situation of our country in our books. The answer is, we’re afraid to write about that.”
-Samaresh Majumder, Anandabazar
Humayun Ahmed admits his own limitation regarding the lack of contemporary political impact on his novels. And of course, he also talks about how he cannot write what he wants to. And that, indeed, is the most significant criticism regarding him.
Often, he has been called overrated due to his books that were clearly written to attract readers – not to create a masterpiece of literature, that’s for sure.
However, is that enough to say that he did not have a successful career? I don’t think so.
The importance of his creations in literature is up for debate, and I am not qualified to comment on that matter. But if we think about it, why do writers write? Can a writer be called great if he has no readers to read his book? Most probably not. We love the authors who can stir our emotions through their words, who can take us into a world where we stop caring about the world we live in and smile for the characters who are happy in that fictional world, and shed tears for the characters who go through heartbreaks.
And it can be said without argument that Humayun Ahmed was a master of creating worlds where we would love to get lost.
His popularity speaks for itself, of course. However, his impact on the readers is nothing short of extraordinary. It has never been more evident than now when we have almost nobody with popularity anywhere close to Humayun Ahmed’s fame. And that fact is all the more apparent when we consider a stat from 2019.
“Around 50% of the books we’ve sold in the fair so far are by Humayun Ahmed.”
-Enamul Haq Shahid, Sales Executive, Kakoli Prokashoni
This was more than 6 years after his death, and the sale of his books is still going strong. This is extraordinary, and even this fact fails to state how incredible his impact actually was. His sales number was astounding, even to celebrated writers in West Bengal.
“At the end of the Ekushe Bookfair in 1994, it was stated that the sale of Humayun Ahmed’s new books was over 25 thousand. In the Kolkata Bookfair, if someone manages to sell around 1500-2000 books, we call the author famous. Even the thought of comparing anyone with Humayun Ahmed is ridiculous at this point.”
-Samaresh Majumder, Anandabazar
However, as incredible as the sales may seem, they were not the strongest indicators of his impact on the readers of this generation. The real impact of his creations can be seen in the behavioral changes that occurred among the youths in the country. With his groundbreaking drama, Kothao Keu Nei, the whole country went into a frenzy.
Every young man wanted to be Baker bhai, and they were in search of their Mona.
The walls in the streets of Dhaka were filled with please such as, “Amra shobai Baker hobo, emon Mona kothay pabo”. All because of two characters that he created, and had directed to be shown on television.
And then there was the death sentence of Baker bhai. The protests. The death threats to Humayun Ahmed, just so that he keeps a fictional character of his own creation alive. Of course, he didn’t keep Baker alive, in the end.
The Himu effect, of course, was everywhere, too.
Everyone wanted to be the mystical, enigmatic, carefree, and supernatural Himu. Numerous men could be seen donning yellow panjabis with bare feet, especially on the birthday of Humayun Ahmed. Women would put on blue sarees to become Rupa, Himu’s love interest.
No writer in recent memory managed to have such a profound impact on multiple generations of readers. And we are not even getting much into the movies and dramas he created, which were incredibly popular among Bangladeshis of all ages. Simply, as a writer, the impact of Humayun Ahmed is unparalleled, at least in Bangladesh.
“He taught the young generation to love. He popularized the romanticism of moonlit nights and downpours of rain. Most probably, that is why he wasn’t just loved by a fixed set of fans; he was loved deeply by people of all ages.”
-Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, Ekattor Ebong Amar Baba
In the end, there can be debates about the substance and depth of the books of Humayun Ahmed. The repetitive nature of his books, especially in his later years, can also be subject to criticism. However, one thing is above any debate.
Humayun Ahmed managed to impact the readers of Bangladesh far more profoundly than any other writer, at least post-1971.
And therein lies his success as a writer. Any writer who has had such a profound impact on the readers of a country must be called successful – and Humayun Ahmed can be a perfect example in that respect.
