ABDULLA QADIRI
(1894-1938)
Abdulla Qadiri is a great representative of the new Uzbek literature of the 20th century, the founder of the Uzbek novel. He was an active participant in the important socio-cultural processes of the 20s. Kadiri’s works are dedicated to the life of the Uzbek people. Abdulla Qadiri started his career as a writer and poet in 1912. Poems such as “Wedding”, “Our condition”, “Millatim”, “Fikr aylagil”, drama “Bachtsiz Kuyuv”, story “Juvonboz” are his first works.
The novels “Gone Days” and “Scorpion from the Altar” written by Abdulla Qadiri are the first works in the novel genre of Uzbek literature. With this, the writer laid the foundations of Uzbek novels. Through the novel, Abdulla Qadiri wants to awaken the national consciousness of the people, to teach the people about the terrible historical processes of the “Khan times”, the “dirtiest and darkest days of our history”.
Adib, standing among the progressive intellectuals, earnestly worries about the fate of the nation, and because he sees the way of salvation in literature, he begins to create works with a national spirit. Along with his active writing, Adib was also engaged in translation.
He skillfully translates Russian writer Nikolai Gogol’s “Marriage” and Anton Chekhov’s “Alchazor” into Uzbek language. In 1934, he took part in the compilation of the “Complete Russian-Uzbek Dictionary” published in Kazan. Undoubtedly, Abdulla Qadiri’s own works have been translated into several world languages. His novel “Gone Days” was translated into Azerbaijani in 1928, “Scorpion from the Altar” was translated into Tajik in 1935.
Abdulla Qadiri’s works are recognized in many Eastern and European countries. His books are still being translated into Russian, Kazakh, Uighur, German, Tatar, Arabic, Italian, and English languages. Abdulla Qadiri was shot on October 4, 1938 in Tashkent. His works have been published since 1956. Laureate of the Alisher Navoi Republican State Prize (1991), awarded with the Order of Independence (1994).