Zulfiya (poet)

Zulfiya
BornZulfiya Isroilova
زلفيه اسرائيل قيزى
Зулфия Исроилова
(1915-03-01)1 March 1915
Tashkent,
Russian Empire
Died1 August 1996(1996-08-01) (aged 81)
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Pen nameZulfiya (as takhallus)
OccupationPoet
LanguageUzbek, Russian
Nationality Soviet Union→ Uzbekistan
Literary movementSocialist realism
Notable awardsHero of Socialist Labour (1984)
Order of Lenin (1959, 1984)
State Hamza Prize (1970)
SpouseHamid Olimjon

Zulfiya Isroilova, known by her pen name Zulfiya (in Cyrillic Зулфия; 1 March 1915 in Tashkent, Russian Empire – 1 August 1996 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan) was a Soviet and Uzbek writer. She repeatedly was a leader or chief editor for various media, participating in Soviet delegations to various conferences. The Uzbek National Award for Women was created and named after her.

Early life

Her name Zulfiya originates from the Persian word زلف zulf meaning 'a curl of hair' and '(in a mystic sense) the divine mysteries forming the delight of the devotee'.[1][2]

Zulfiya was born in Mahallah Dergez, near Tashkent to a family of craftsmen. Her parents were very interested in culture and literature. Her mother used to sing her popular songs and tales.

Career

Her first poem was published 17 July 1931 in the Uzbek newspaper Ishchi (The Worker). Her first collection of poetry (Hayot varaqlari, "Pages of Life") was published in 1932. In the following decades she wrote patriotic works as well as propaganda, pacifist works, and works on nature and women's topics.

From 1938 on, Zulfiya worked for various publishers and was a member of several national and interrepublican organizations. She repeatedly was a leader or chief editor for various media. After the death of her husband Hamid Olimjon in an accident in 1944, she dedicated to him several works. In 1953, she joined the Communist Party and also became the editor of Saodat magazine. In 1956, she was part of a delegation of Soviet writers led by Konstantin Simonov to the Asian Writers' Conference in Delhi. In 1957, she participated in the Asian-African Solidarity Conference in Cairo.

Personal life

Zulfiya was married to the renowned Uzbek poet Hamid Olimjon. He died in a car accident on 3 July 1944, in Tashkent. He was 34 years old at the time of his death.

Death

Zulfiya died at 81 years, on 1 August 1996 in Tashkent.[3]

Legacy

In 1999, the Uzbek National Award for Women was created and named after her.[4] On 1 March 2008, a statue in her memory was unveiled in Tashkent.[5] In 2014, the monument was replaced with a bronze one. In December 2017, the monument was moved to the Alley of Writers.[6]

Awards

References

  1. ^ Steingass, F. (1992). A Comprehensive Persian-English Dictionary. Asian Educational Services. pp. 619–620. ISBN 9788120606708. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  2. ^ "First name: Zulfia". Namepedia. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Зульфия". Pravda Vostoka (in Russian). No. 149. 3 August 1996. p. 2.
  4. ^ "О ПОДДЕРЖКЕ ПРЕДЛОЖЕНИЙ ПО УЧРЕЖДЕНИЮ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОЙ ПРЕМИИ ИМЕНИ ЗУЛЬФИИ". lex.uz. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  5. ^ "В Ташкенте открыт памятник Народной поэтессе Узбекистана Зульфие". uzreport.uz. Archived from the original on 26 November 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  6. ^ "Памятники Зульфие, Х. Алимджану и Г. Гуляму перевезены на Аллею литераторов". Газета.uz (in Russian). 11 December 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  7. ^ "О присуждении государственных премий Узбекской ССР имени Хамзы в области литературы, искусства и архитектуры" [On the awarding of state prizes of the Uzbek SSR named after Hamza in the fields of literature, art and architecture]. Pravda Vostoka (in Russian). No. 90. 17 April 1970. p. 2.