Noted novelist RiziaRahman passed away on August 16 at Apollo Hospital in the city.

The author was born in 1939. She has a number of novels and short stories to her credit. Her works cut across all genres. She is best known for the novel Bong Theke Bangla. She was the recipient of Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1978. She published more than 50 novels and short story collections in her long career.

Rizia Rahman was born in Kolkata. Her family moved to Bangladesh, after the 1947 Partition of India. She began writing stories at the age of 8 and was published for the first time when she was 12. Her stories and poems appeared in newspapers such as Satyajug and Sangbad.Rahman studied at the University of Dhaka and graduated with a Master of Social Sciences in Economics.

Rahman published her first collection of short stories, Agni Shakkora, while studying at the University of Dhaka. Her novel Bong Theke Bangla was published in 1978 to critical acclaim, exploring the evolution of Bangladesh's nationality and language. Her fourth novel, RokterOkkhor, was inspired by an article called "The Prostitutes of Dhaka" which was published in Bichitra. She was unable to conduct research for the book by visiting brothels herself, relying instead on weekly reports from a male journalist to gain an understanding of a sex worker's living conditions. It created a huge stir in Bangladesh upon publication because of its frank depiction of prostitution in the country.

Her notable literary works are Uttar Purush, Rokter Okkhor, Bong Theke Bangla, Alikhito Upakhyan and others. She received many prestigious awards included Bangla Academy Literary Award, Bangladesh Lekhak Sangha Sahitya Padak, Anannya Literature Award, Shawgat Shwarna Padak, Ekushey Padak and others.