Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi ( uz, Hamza Hakimzoda Niyoziy / Ҳамза Ҳакимзода Ниёзий) (, Kokand – March 18, 1929, Shohimardon) was an Uzbek author, composer, playwright, poet, scholar, and political activist. Niyazi, along with Gʻafur Gʻulom, is widely seen as one of the leading figures in the early development of modern Uzbek literary tradition. He is generally considered the first Uzbek playwright, the founder of modern Uzbek musical forms, as well as the founder of Uzbek

social realism Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structure ...

. Niyazi also participated in the controversial

Uzbek language Uzbek (''Oʻzbekcha, Oʻzbek tili or Ўзбекча, Ўзбек тили''), formerly known as ''Turki'' or ''Western Turki'', is a Turkic language spoken by Uzbeks. It is the official, and national language of Uzbekistan. Uzbek is spoken as ...

reforms of the 1920s which were meant to codify a literary Uzbek language in place of the older, fading Chagatai. In addition to Uzbek, Niyazi knew many other languages, including

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

, and Turkish. His works generally dealt with social issues, such as

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

social inequality Social inequality occurs when resources in a given society are distributed unevenly, typically through norms of allocation, that engender specific patterns along lines of socially defined categories of persons. It posses and creates gender c ...

, and the prevalence of superstition. Niyazi was

stoned to death Stoning, or lapidation, is a method of capital punishment where a group throws stones at a person until the subject dies from blunt trauma. It has been attested as a form of punishment for grave misdeeds since ancient times. The Torah and Ta ...

in the town of Shohimardon, by

Islamic fundamentalists Islamic fundamentalism has been defined as a puritanical, revivalist, and reform movement of Muslims who aim to return to the founding scriptures of Islam. Islamic fundamentalists are of the view that Muslim-majority countries should return t ...

on the accusation of anti-religious activities. Niyazi became a National Writer of the Uzbek SSR in 1926. To honor his memory, in 1967 the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan established the State Hamza Prize to recognize outstanding achievement in literature, arts, and architecture. Many institutions in Uzbekistan, including a station of Tashkent Metro, three theaters, as well as several schools and streets are named after him.

Life

Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi was born on March 6, 1889 in Kokand to a family of healers. His father, Ibn Yamin Niyoz oʻgʻli (1840—1922), knew Uzbek and Tajik/

and was keen on literature. His mother, Jahonbibi Rabiboy qizi (1858—1903), was also a healer. Niyazi was first educated in a maktab, then in a

madrassah Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

. Having organized a free school for the children of the poor, Niyazi devoted himself to the project in the capacity of a teacher. He himself wrote primers for children, such as ''Yengil adabiyot'' (''Easy Literature'') (1914), ''Oʻqish kitobi'' (''Reading Book'') (1914), and ''Qiroat kitobi'' (''Reading with Intonation'') (1915). Niyazi ardently supported the

Bolshevik Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

of 1917. He joined the All-Russian Communist Party (The Bolsheviks) in 1920 and, among other things, organized a theater troop for the entertainment of

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

soldiers. In addition to Uzbek, Niyazi knew many other languages, including

, and Turkish. Niyazi's early writings exhibit strong social-democratic leanings and sharp condemnations of social injustice. His works generally dealt wish social issues, such as

, and the prevalence of superstition. An ardent supporter of the revolution, Niyazi was

in the town of Shohimardon by nationalists and

for his anti-religious activities.

Works

Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi wrote his earliest poems under the pen name ''Nihoniy''. His earliest collection of poems, ''Devoni Nihoniy'' (''Nihoniy's Diwan''), was found in 1949 and had 197 poems that he had written in 1903–04. 1989 CPA PC 195 Stamp

Niyazi extolled the Russian Revolution and was directly connected with the struggle for social justice and liberation in Uzbekistan. Many of Niyazi's works, including his poems, dramas, and other writings were often written in the turmoil of revolution and describe Niyazi's view of the awakening of Uzbek class consciousness. Niyazi's novels are generally moralistic and focus on showcasing and condemning those aspects of Uzbek society the author considered backward and detrimental to both individual and national development. Yasha Sho'ro

In his first novel, ''Yangi saodat'' (''New Prosperity'') (1915), Niyazi extols the benefits of

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

. The book was written to showcase the author's belief in the power of modern education to end superstitions and to allow a human being to reach his full potential and improve not only his own life, but also the lives of those around him. In the novel, Niyazi tells the story of a poorly educated young man who marries and has two children before becoming a drunkard and a gambler and eventually leaving the family. His wife takes care of her son, who, in contrast to his father, completes his education. The son then finds his now destitute father and reunites the family. In ''Zaharli hayot yoxud Ishq qurbonlari'' (''Poisonous Life or the Victims of Love''), Niyazi portrays a young couple, the 18-year-old son of a well-to-do family and the 17-year-old daughter of a craftsman. The couple's love is thwarted by the inflexible attitudes of the boy's parents who stick closely to their rigid ideas about social structure. The young people eventually commit suicide — they become victims of the feudal class system. Niyazi also wrote ''Boy ila xizmatchi'' (''The Bey and The Servant'') (1918) which deals primarily with the revolutionary upheaval in Western

Turkestan Turkestan, also spelled Turkistan ( fa, ترکستان, Torkestân, lit=Land of the Turks), is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and Xinjiang. Overview Known as Turan to the Persians, western Turk ...

and with the institution of arranged marriage. In the story, the young heroine commits suicide after being forced to marry a man she does not love. One of the author's final works is ''Paranji sirlaridan bir lavha Yoki yallachilar ishi'' (''One Episode from the Secrets of the Veil or the Case of Yalla Singers'') (1922) which describes the problems faced by Uzbek women. In addition to his explicitly political novels, Niyazi is also known for his anthologies of folk songs and melodies. In his anthologies, Niyazi collected about 40 songs, mostly Uzbek, but also Kashgar and

Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

melodies. Niyazi himself was a master of several traditional Uzbek instruments, especially the

dotar The ''dutar'' (also '' dotar''; fa, دوتار, dutâr; russian: Дутар; tg, дутор; ug, دۇتار, ucy=Дутар, Dutar; uz, dutor; ; dng, Дутар) is a traditional Iranian long-necked two-stringed lute found in Iran and Centr ...

and the

tanbur The term ''Tanbur'' ( fa, تنبور, ) can refer to various long-necked string instruments originating in Mesopotamia, Southern or Central Asia. According to the '' New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', "terminology presents a compli ...

. Niyazi also wrote two comedies: ''Tuhmatchilar jazosi'' (''The Punishment of Slanderers'') (1918) and ''Burungi qozilar yoxud Maysaraning ishi'' (''Old Judges or the Case of Maysara'') (1926).

Legacy

Niyazi is one of the most important early representatives of a distinctive Uzbek literature. He is generally considered the first Uzbek playwright, the founder of modern Uzbek musical forms, as well as the founder of Uzbek

. His writings were also significant for being "ideologically valuable" in the early years of Soviet power in Uzbekistan. Although socialist realism became the "official" style of Uzbek literature only in 1932, Niyazi is generally credited as the founder of the movement. In his book '' The Politics of Muslim Cultural Reform: Jadidism in Central Asia'', Adeeb Khalid, whose research focuses on Central Asian history, writes that it is difficult to imagine the history of modern

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

n literature without Niyazi. Niyazi also participated in the controversial

reforms of the 1920s which were meant to codify a literary Uzbek language in place of the older, fading Chagatai. Chagatai had been the dominant written form for several centuries. The reforms eventually resulted in a significant shift in spelling and pronunciation. Although Niyazi's political legacy is complex, he undoubtedly helped develop the national literature of Uzbekistan.

Jadidist The Jadids were Muslim modernist reformers within the Russian Empire in the late 19th and early 20th century. They normally referred to themselves by the Turkic terms ''Taraqqiparvarlar'' ('progressives'), ''Ziyalilar'' ('intellectuals') or simpl ...

and nationalist writers saw Niyazi's pro-Soviet position as inherently un-Uzbek because of its non-national and political themes. Niyazi became a National Writer of the Uzbek SSR in 1926. To honor his memory, in 1967 the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan established the State Hamza Prize to recognize outstanding achievement in literature, arts, and architecture. Many institutions in Uzbekistan, including a station of Tashkent Metro, three theaters, as well as several schools and streets are named after him. There are two museums of Niyazi in Kokand.

References

Bibliography

* . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * . * .

External links

* Adeeb Khalid
''Printing, Publishing, and Reform in Tsarist Central Asia''
1994 * Mark Dickens
''Uzbek Music''
. 1989 * Mark Dickens
''The Uzbeks''
. 1990 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Niyazi, Hamza Hakimzade 1889 births 1929 deaths People from Kokand People from Fergana Oblast 20th-century novelists 20th-century Uzbekistani poets Jadids Bolsheviks Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Uzbeks Poets from the Russian Empire Male writers from the Russian Empire Russian male poets People murdered in the Soviet Union Soviet poets Soviet male writers Former Muslims 20th-century atheists 20th-century male writers People killed in the Hujum Uzbekistani male poets Uzbekistani writers Russian male novelists Deaths by stoning Uzbekistani Arabic-language poets