Amirul Islam Children’s Writer

Amirul Islam a prominent children’s writer and poet of our country. He has been writing since the last three decades and so far, he has published more than 250 books. He has won numerous awards, including Bangla Academy Literary Award, Agrani Bank Children Literary Award and Shamsur Rahman Literary Award. A foodie, chess, art, and travel enthusiast, Amirul Islam has visited more than 50 countries of the world. Besides working for a TV channel, he is a fellow of the Bangla Academy and a structure member of the Liberation War Museum. Y&I met with him recently for an exclusive interview.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sheikh Iraj

How did you get into writing, and why do you prefer to write children’s books?

I come from a humble family and I didn’t always get the toys or sports gear that I wanted. I started writing because pen and paper are cheap and one can easily buy them. I have even mentioned this in some of my books. I used to read a lot of books and get lost in the stories. Basically, writing helped me to create an imaginary world of my own. I used to send my writings to different newspapers and most of them were published, that inspired me to write as well.

I prefer to write for children because when I started writing I was about 12-years-old and at that age, you can’t write for grownups. I did write some books for grownups. But by that time readers assumed that I only write children’s books, and I didn’t do much to change their thoughts.               

How is writing for children different than writing for grownups? Do you give any message in your writings?

The beauty of children’s books is that everyone can read them, but that cannot be said about any other genre. One shouldn’t give any direct message to kids through their writings, readers won’t like it. For example, if I am reading a book where it is full of messages, I will get annoyed and won’t read that book twice. Of course, I try to insert moral lessons in my stories, like how good overcomes bad and how light clears away darkness. But honestly, I don’t know if those messages reach my readers or not.

Do children’s books sell, as kids may prefer to read on e-books?

I don’t know. Due to work or just for my own recreation, I love to travel. I have travelled to over 50 countries in the world and in most of those countries, the number of books and bookshops are increasing. Now whether we are experiencing the opposite of that in our country, I don’t know.

Please tell us about the awards you have won over the years.

Let me be honest with you, I don’t think much about awards and I find them to be trivial. No good writer starts writing just because they want awards.

What advice would you like to give new writers?

I don’t have any advice for young writers, I don’t believe in giving advice. A writer’s own inspiration will show them the way.     

What’s your future plan?

I can’t predict the future, so I don’t make big future plans. I collect old books and antiques, and I hope to open a library and a museum with those.

Amirul Islam Childrens Writer

Amirul Islam a prominent childrens writer and poet of our country. He has been writing since the last three decades and so far, he has published more than 250 books. He has won numerous awards, including Bangla Academy Literary Award, Agrani Bank Children Literary Award and Shamsur Rahman Literary Award. A foodie, chess, art, and travel enthusiast, Amirul Islam has visited more than 50 countries of the world. Besides working for a TV channel, he is a fellow of the Bangla Academy and a structure member of the Liberation War Museum. YI met with him recently for an exclusive interview. Sheikh Iraj How did you get into writing, and why do you prefer to write childrens books? I come from a humble family and I didnt always get the toys or sports gear that I wanted. I started writing because pen and paper are cheap and one can easily buy them. I have even mentioned this in some of my books. I used to read a lot of books and get lost in the stories. Basically, writing helped me to create an imaginary world of my own. I used to send my writings to different newspapers and most of them were published, that inspired me to write as well. I prefer to write for children because when I started writing I was about 12-years-old and at that age, you cant write for grownups. I did write some books for grownups. But by that time readers assumed that I only write childrens books, and I didnt do much to change their thoughts. How is writing for children different than writing for grownups? Do you give any message in your writings? The beauty of childrens books is that everyone can read them, but that cannot be said about any other genre. One shouldnt give any direct message to kids through their writings, readers wont like it. For example, if I am reading a book where it is full of messages, I will get annoyed and wont read that book twice. Of course, I try to insert moral lessons in my stories, like how good overcomes bad and how light clears away darkness. But honestly, I dont know if those messages reach my readers or not. Do childrens books sell, as kids may prefer to read on e-books? I dont know. Due to work or just for my own recreation, I love to travel. I have travelled to over 50 countries in the world and in most of those countries, the number of books and bookshops are increasing. Now whether we are experiencing the opposite of that in our country, I dont know. Please tell us about the awards you have won over the years. Let me be honest with you, I dont think much about awards and I find them to be trivial. No good writer starts writing just because they want awards. What advice would you like to give new writers? I dont have any advice for young writers, I dont believe in giving advice. A writers own inspiration will show them the way. Whats your future plan? I cant predict the future, so I dont make big future plans. I collect old books and antiques, and I hope to open a library and a museum with those.