Sami Abduqahhor


Sami Abduqahhor was a Soviet and Uzbek author and screenwriter. He is regarded as a central figure in the development of the modern fable genre in 20th-century Uzbek literature. He is known for his humorous short stories, satirical poems, fables, and feuilletons, and was the scriptwriter for several episodes of the television anthology series, Fitil and the feature-length film The Age of Anxiety. From the 1960 to 1980, he was a regular contributor of Krokodil. Together with Anatoly Kabulov, he created the Uzbekistani satirical newsreel "Nashtar."

Biography

Abdukakhkhar was born in Tashkent in 1922. In 1936, he completed then-standard seven years of secondary education and entered the Party Newspaper School at the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan in Tashkent, graduating in 1938.
He began his creative activity in 1937, publishing several satirical stories and essays in republican newspapers and magazines. In 1938, Samig Abdukakhkhar started working at the editorial office of the republican satirical magazine "Mushtum," first as a literary employee and later as the head of the department.
In 1939, he entered the Faculty of Philology at the Alisher Navoi Samarkand State University. He combined his studies with his work as the head of the literature department at the Samarkand regional newspaper "Lenin Yuli".
On April 22, 1942, he was drafted into the Soviet Army and served in the border troops until May 1946. He was a participant in the Great Patriotic War.
In the post-war years, he worked as the head of the department at the editorial office of the newspaper "Lenin Uchquni", as a correspondent for the Uzbek Telegraph Agency (UzTAG) for the Kashkadarya region, and as the head of the department at the editorial office of the regional newspaper "Kashkadarya Hakikati".
Since 1948, he was the head of the department at the republican youth newspaper "Yosh Leninchi". From 1951 to 1954, he was a senior editor and then the head of the department at the State Publishing House of the [Uzbek Soviet Union|Soviet Socialist Republic|Uzbek SSR]. In 1954, he was transferred back to the editorial office of the magazine "Mushtum," and in 1956, he was appointed the executive secretary of the Fergana regional branch of the Union of Writers of the Uzbek SSR.
Returning to Tashkent in 1958, he worked as a senior editor at the "Uzbekfilm" studio. From 1960 to 1966, he was the head of the prose department at the magazine "Shark Yulduzi".
In 1966, on the initiative of Samig Abdukakhkhar and Anatoly Kabulov, the republican satirical newsreel "Nashtar" was created at the "Uzbekfilm" studio in Tashkent. From the moment of its creation, Samig Abdukakhkhar was the executive secretary of the editorial office—organizing and overseeing the preparation of film stories, as well as working as a screenwriter and director of individual episodes.
Samig Abdukakhkhar was a member of the Union of Soviet Writers, a member of the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR, and an Honored Cultural Worker of the Uzbek SSR.
He died on 9 February 1990, and was buried in Tashkent at the Chigatay Memorial Cemetery.

Career

Writer

During the lifetime of Samig Abdukakhkhar, a total of 38 books authored by him were published in Uzbek and Russian in Tashkent, Moscow, and Dushanbe, with a combined circulation exceeding 1.1 million copies.
The first book by Samig Abdukakhkhar, a collection of stories titled "Frontline Stories," was published in 1945 in Stalinabad.
Three books by Samig Abdukakhkhar were published by Pravda Publishing House, the largest journal-newspaper publishing house in the USSR: "The Learned Goose and Many Others", "How I Defended Myself from Criticism...", "We've Met Somewhere: Feuilletons. Fables. Humoresques".
Twelve books were published in Russian, including collections of stories, poems, and fables: "Fables", "The Strong Hand", "Into the Light of Day", "Take Care of Men" ; the novella "The Path Leads to Happiness", and children's poems "Valijon the Joker".
Twenty-three books were published in Uzbek, including collections: "Neighbors", "Lighthouses", "My Anger, My Pride", "Rocks and Shadows", the novella "The Beginning of Life", children's books "Valijon the Joker", and "Tashkenbay from Africa".
Samig Abdukakhkhar's poems, stories, and essays were published in antologies of Soviet writers, in newspapers and magazines of the USSR, and were broadcast on All-Union Radio.
Samig Abdukakhkhar's works were translated and published in Belarusian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Turkmen, Hungarian, English, and other languages.

Screenwriter

Samig Abdukakhkhar was the scriptwriter for several episodes of the all-Union satirical newsreel "Fitil" and No. 57 ). In 1966, Samig Abdukakhkhar and Anatoly Kabulov created the republican satirical newsreel "Nashtar" at the Uzbekfilm studio, modeled after "Fitil." Like "Fitil," each issue of "Nashtar" consisted of several fictional or documentary film novellas, and sometimes cartoons. The main goal of the creators of the "Nashtar" newsreel was to combat social vices encountered in everyday life through satire and humor. Samig Abdukakhkhar was the author of scripts for more than 50 fictional and documentary episodes of the "Nashtar" newsreel and was also the director of several episodes.
In 1973, the television feature film "The Age of Anxiety," co-written by Samig Abdukakhkhar and Dmitry Bulgakov, was released on the screens of the Soviet Union. The film was produced by the Uzbekfilm studio by order of Central Television of the USSR.

Playwright

Samig Abdukakhkhar was also the author of several plays for children's theaters. His plays "Incident in the Forest" and "Alijan and Valijon" were performed on the stage of the Republican Puppet Theater of Uzbekistan.

Translator

Samig Abdukakhkhar is also known as a master of literary translation – he was the first to translate into Uzbek a number of works by Russian and Western classics, as well as contemporary writers. Among his translations are the tragedy "The Spaniards" by Mikhail Lermontov, Herzen's "The Thieving Magpie," Solovyov's "The Tale of Hodja Nasreddin," Anton Chekhov's "Stories and Tales," Hans Christian Andersen's "Fairy Tales," Molière's comedy "Scapin the Schemer," the Finnish satirist Martti Larni's novel "The Fourth Vertebra", Semyon Babayevsky's novel "Cavalier of the Golden Star", works by Ivan Krylov, Maxim Gorky, Samuil Marshak, Demyan Bedny, Sergey Mikhalkov, Stepan Oleynik, Rabindranath Tagore, Sabir Tahirzade, novellas by I. Arefyev, Pavel Vezhinov, V. Milchakov, G. Komarovsky, Y. Yanovsky, and other writers and poets. According to journalist Boris Parmuzin, a book of Hans Christian Andersen's works translated into Uzbek by Samig Abdukakhkhar was presented in the permanent exhibition of the Hans Christian Andersen House-Museum in Odense, Denmark.
At the Uzbekfilm studio, Samig Abdukakhkhar participated in dubbing more than 45 feature films into Uzbek. Famous Soviet films "The Cranes Are Flying," "Beware of the Car," "Three Plus Two," "Kochubey," "Stepmother," "The Thorn," "The Clock Stopped at Midnight," "The Unamenables," and "The Little Fugitive" were released in Uzbekistan with Uzbek translations by Samig Abdukakhkhar.

Scholarly and Literary Peers Recognition

Samig Abdukakhkhar is recognized as a key figure in the development of the modern fable genre in 20th-century Uzbek literature. Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor S. Z. Mirzayev, in his monograph "Uzbek Literature of the 20th Century", gave the following assessment of his work: "It was precisely in these years that the folk genres of parables and fables, which had been neglected since Hamza and Elbek, were revived. We should particularly note the successful experiments in this genre system by Samig Abdukakhkhar, Yamin Kurban, Olim Kuchkarbekov... The fables are distinguished by the metaphorical poetic style, apt figurative language. The satirical and humorous poems expanded the genre system of Uzbek poetry."
The famous Soviet writer and author of the anthems of the USSR and Russia, Sergey Mikhalkov, described Samig Abdukakhkhar as "a fighter of a difficult genre." "Samig Abdukakhkhar chose a challenging profession for himself. The writer is faithful to the difficult genre of satire. Why difficult? Because the satirist constantly has to 'spoil relations' with that part of the readership which recognizes itself in his works. An old Uzbek proverb says: 'Before choosing a place for a house, choose a neighbor.' I would choose Samig Abdukakhkhar as my neighbor because we both exhibit intolerance in our creativity... to all who hinder honest people from living and working," wrote Mikhalkov in the foreword to the book "Take Care of Men."
Published by the USSR Academy of Sciences, History of Uzbek Soviet Literature : 'During this period, many fables appeared in republican newspapers and magazines. Among them, the fables of Samig Abdukakhkhar, published as a separate edition, draw attention. Memorable aphorisms, original comparisons, and puns are often found in Samig Abdukakhkhar's fables.

Honors and Awards

  • Medal "For Distinguished Labor" — for outstanding contributions to the development of Uzbek art and literature and in connection with the Decade of Uzbek Art and Literature in Moscow;
  • Honorary title "Honored Cultural Worker of the Uzbek SSR".

Legacy

Noteworthy Facts

The writer's last novel, "Turquoise Sky," was dedicated to Uzbek soldiers who participated in the Italian Resistance movement during World War II. The prototype for the novel's main character was Sharif Samatov, a native of Samarkand, a scout, and a participant in the partisan struggle in Yugoslavia and Italy. Samig Abdukakhkhar worked on this novel for several years, starting from the late 1970s, and made several trips to Italy to work in the archives, where he gathered material and documentary evidence. The novel was never published because the only copy of the manuscript was lost in the editorial office during the preparation of the novel for publication. An excerpt from the novel was printed in the newspaper "Pravda Vostoka" in 1992 to commemorate his 70th birthday.

Published Works

Books

In Russian

  • Басни — Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1958. — — 10,000 copies.
  • Зеленый остров: Очерки — Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1963. — — 10,000 copies.
  • Тропа ведет к счастью. Повесть — Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1963. — — 15,000 copies.
  • Ученый гусь и многие другие — Moscow: Pravda, 1964. — 250,000 copies.
  • Сильная рука — Tashkent: Tashkent Publishing House, 1965. — — 15,000 copies.
  • Как я защитился от критики... — Moscow: Pravda, 1972. — 75,000 copies.
  • Тропа ведет к счастью — Tashkent: Yosh Gvardiya, 1972. — — 45,000 copies.
  • Вечный мир: Басни, фельетоны в стихах, юморески — Tashkent: Gafur Gulyam Literature and Art Publishing House, 1972. — — 15,000 copies.
  • На свет божий: Басни, фельетоны в стихах, юморески — Tashkent: Gafur Gulyam Literature and Art Publishing House, 1972. — — 10,000 copies.
  • Валиджан-шутник: Веселые рассказы в стихах — Tashkent: Yosh Gvardiya, 1977. — — 60,000 copies.
  • Берегите мужчин: Басни, фельетоны в стихах, шутки, юмористические рассказы, сатирические киносценарии — Tashkent: Gafur Gulyam Literature and Art Publishing House, 1983. — — 45,000 copies.
  • Мы где-то встречались: Фельетоны, басни, юморески — Moscow: Pravda, 1984. — — 75,000 copies.

In Uzbek

  • Фронт ҳангомалари — Stalinabad: State Publishing House of the Tajik SSR, 1945. — — 3,000 copies.
  • Китоб қаҳрамони — United Publishing House "Kzyl Uzbekistan" and "Pravda Vostoka," 1949. — — 10,000 copies.
  • Республика юраги — United Publishing House "Kzyl Uzbekistan" and "Pravda Vostoka," 1950. — — 10,000 copies.
  • Галя Измайлова. Народная артистка УзССР. Очерк — Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1953. — — 45,000 copies.
  • Масаллар — Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1954. — — 10,000 copies.
  • Ҳикоялар — Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1956. — — 15,000 copies.
  • Ҳикоялар. Ўрта ва катта ёшдаги болалар учун — Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1956. — — 30,000 copies.
  • Ҳаётнинг бошланиши — Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1960. — — 15,000 copies.
  • Олтин водийларни кезганда — Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1961. — — 15,000 copies.
  • Бетга айтганнинг заҳри йуқ — Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1961. — — 10,000 copies.
  • Санамай саккиз дема — Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1962. — — 15,000 copies.
  • Қўшнилар — Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1963. — — 15,000 copies.
  • Чароғбонлар — Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1964. — — 15,000 copies.
  • Аччиқ дори — Tashkent: Tashkent Publishing House, 1965. — — 10,000 copies.
  • Валижон ҳазилкаш — Tashkent: Yosh Gvardiya, 1968. — — 60,000 copies.
  • Уй остонадан бошланади — Tashkent: Gafur Gulyam Literature and Art Publishing House, 1970. — — 15,000 copies.
  • Фойдали хуррак — Tashkent: Publishing House of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan, 1971. — — 50,000 copies.
  • Қаҳрим ва фахрим — Tashkent: Gafur Gulyam Literature and Art Publishing House, 1972. — — 10,000 copies.
  • Қоялар ва соялар — Tashkent: Gafur Gulyam Literature and Art Publishing House, 1975. — — 60,000 copies.
  • Эркакларни асранг — Tashkent: Publishing House of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan, 1982. — — 33,500 copies.
  • Қоялар ва соялар — Tashkent: Gafur Gulyam Literature and Art Publishing House, 1983. — — 10,000 copies.
  • Ўзларидан сўрасак — Tashkent: Yosh Gvardiya, 1983. — — 30,000 copies.
  • Африкалик Тошкентбой — Tashkent: Yosh Gvardiya, 1989. — — 30,000 copies.

In Anthologies

  • Обыкновенная история. Невыгодная специальность. Сон в руку. и др. // Услуга за услугу. Сатира и юмор . — Tashkent: State Publishing House of the Uzbek SSR, 1962. — 15,000 copies.
  • Соседи. Что-то теперь будет?...Сюрприз. Мудрый ответ. Две встречи. и др. // И смех, и слезы. Сатира и юмор . — Tashkent: "Tashkent", 1966. — 60,000 copies.
  • Мунилал: рассказ // Дятел. Рассказы — Tashkent: Yosh Gvardiya, 1970. — 90,000 copies.
  • Любимый спорт: стихотворение // Anthology Нестор из «Крокодила» — Moscow: Pravda, 1972. — 100,000 copies.
  • Муха... в науке: стихи // Anthology Мой узбекский брат «Муштум»: Сатир. рассказы, стихи, карикатуры — Moscow: Pravda, 1973. — 75,000 copies.
  • Хобби Рустама: стихи // Anthology Дружный смех — Moscow: Art, Issue 4 / Compiled by Ya. I. Ostrovsky. - 1978. — 66,000 copies.
  • Небесная загадка: стихи // Anthology Дружный смех — Moscow: Art, Issue 5 / Compiled by Ya. I. Ostrovsky. - 1979. — 53,450 copies.
  • Горько, ох горько... // Белое золото: сборник рассказов узбекских писателей . — Moscow: Soviet Writer, 1984. — 30,000 copies.
  • Ты мне веришь, Салимбай? // Тысяча и одна жизнь: Рассказы узб. писателей . — Tashkent: Literature and Art Publishing House, 1988. — 60,000 copies.

Newspapers and Magazines

  • Literaturnaya Gazeta No. 44: "Ты мне веришь, Салимбай?" — Moscow, October 31, 1979.
  • Pravda No. 17 : "После переезда в новый кабинет / Защита от критики" — Moscow, January 17, 1968.
  • Sovetskaya Kultura No. 36 : "Страсть и равнодушие. Очерк" — Moscow, March 17, 1955.
  • Komsomolskaya Pravda No. 125 : "Где самодеятельность, где художественная самодеятельность?" — Moscow, May 28, 1948.
  • Smena No. 832: "" — Moscow, January 1962.
  • Krokodil No. 34 — Moscow, December 1961.
  • Krokodil No. 02 — Moscow, January 1970.
  • Krokodil No. 32 — Moscow, November 1970.
  • Krokodil No. 06 — Moscow, February 1972.
  • Krokodil No. 15 — Moscow, May 1972.
  • Krokodil No. 19 — Moscow, July 1975.
  • Zvezda Vostoka No. 7-10: "Ҳаётнинг бошланиши. Повесть" — Tashkent, July-October 1962.
  • Zvezda Vostoka No. 4: "Африка ҳикоялари" — Tashkent, April 1972.

Vinyl Records

  • Samig Abdukakhar. Fables. In Uzbek. Read by the author : D 29449-50 - Tashkent: Tashkent Recording Studio, 1970.
  • Only You : Uzbek Folk Song / Lyrics by Samig Abdukakhar // Rahimov, Kamaliddin. Nightingale : Sung by Kamaliddin Rahimov / National Instrument Ensemble under the direction of M. Mukhammadov. - Moscow: Melodiya, 1983.

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