Sadat Hossain: Writing is the tree, the other identities branches

With an oeuvre of  24 published books, Sadat Hossain is considered one of the most influential contemporary writers in Bangladesh.

He was recently named the best fiction writer to win the Rokomari Best Seller Award 2022. 

Amongst several awards and accolades, he is also a recipient the prestigious Humayun Ahmed Sahitya Puroshkar, Chamber International Award, and Chokh Sahitya Puraskar.

Sadat bears many identities: writer, poet, anchor, photographer and filmmaker. He has also recently stepped into the realm of music, writing lyrics for mainstream movies and some popular singers. 

"Some of my songs have already made it into movies. In addition, popular singers like Chamok Hasan and Anupam Roy have sung my lyrics," he said. 

Many composers reach out to him for his lyrics, but Sadat tends to be very selective with whom he chooses to work with. "I would rather give my lyrics for free to a good composer than to work with a random composer for money."

Photo: Courtesy

Out of all the arts he is involved with, Sadat considers himself as a storyteller first and foremost.  "I always wanted to tell stories, even as a child," he said. 

"All the arts,  whether it's a movie, photograph, painting, sculpture, or a novel; they all have a story to tell. However, the root of my passion is embedded in writing fiction. Therefore, that would be my foremost identity." 

In addition to writing, Sadat also gained popularity in filmmaking, which earned him many accolades, including an international award by Junior Chamber International for his short film 'Bodh'. 

Sadat's primary interests throughout his early career were writing and photography. He took a break from writing to pursue a career in cinema for a brief time. It was his photography and writing that inspired him to start making films.

When Sadat writes something, he visualises it first; on the other hand, photography allows him to express his thoughts through stills. So, making a film to share his story was a natural next step for him. 

"If you are a good photographer, you can also be a wonderful filmmaker." 

Photo: Courtesy

However, Sadat primarily wants to stick to writing. As he explained, "Writing is the tree of my creativity, and other identities are its branches." 

Many Indian books have always been readily available in Bangladesh, but books written by Bangladeshi authors were not always available to Indian readers. But now, the internet and social media has broken the geographical barriers, making many Bangladeshi writers popular in West Bengal as well. During his visits to the book fair in Kolkata, Sadat is often thronged by long queues of fans waiting for some words, an autograph, or a selfie. 

"The way I saw people screaming and cheering, I was in disbelief." 

Many of Sadat Hossain's works are inspired by Humayun Ahmed. But he has received criticism of copying the distinguished author. 

As he explained, "Several of my book's titles are similar to that of Humayun Ahmed's." But he asserted that this is an accepted practice in literature. 

"Many new authors are influenced by Humayun Ahmed's writing. It is true that people use this against me, since my writing is simple and can connect with the masses. But my work is not like Humayun Ahmed's. I certainly don't copy his work."

Sadat believes writing is a natural process and it is not something that can be taught in a class. As he explained, "Some can suggest that you have to read hundreds of books before you can write, but that's not always true. Some people read voraciously but are unable to express their thoughts in words. The first writer, on the other hand, did not read before writing."

He encourages people to read, but he doesn't believe that reading alone will lead to a career as a writer.  

He also cautioned aspiring authors. "A writer must learn which criticism will make him, and which one will break him. One must also have the capacity to withstand criticism, a lot of it!"