Erkin Vohidov Эркин Воҳидов
Erkin Vohidov in 2006
Born	(1936-12-28)December 28, 1936 Oltiariq District, Fergana Region Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic
Died	May 30, 2016 (2016-05-31) (aged 79) Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Occupation	Poet, playwright, literary translator, statesman
Notable awards	Lenin Komsomol Prize (1967) State Hamza Prize (1983) People's Poet of the Uzbek SSR (1987) Hero of Uzbekistan (1999)

Erkin Vohidov (Uzbek: Erkin Vohidov / Эркин Воҳидов; December 28, 1936 – May 30, 2016) was an Uzbek poet, playwright, literary translator, and statesman.^[1] In addition to writing his own poetry, Vohidov translated the works of many famous foreign poets, such as Aleksandr Tvardovsky, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Muhammad Iqbal, Rasul Gamzatov, and Sergey Yesenin into the Uzbek language. Particularly noteworthy are his translations of Yesenin's works and Goethe's Faust.

In 1983, Vahidov was awarded the State Hamza Prize. He became a People's Poet of Uzbekistan in 1987. In 1999, he was awarded the title Hero of Uzbekistan, the highest honorary title that can be bestowed on a citizen by Uzbekistan.^[2]

Vohidov's poems remain popular and are frequently published in anthologies. Dozens of his poems have been set to music by various artists, mostly notably by Sherali Joʻrayev. On occasion of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations in October 2020, a song entitled "Human" and based on Vohidov's poem "Inson" ("Human") was released with lyrics in Arabic, English, Italian, Kazakh, Russian, Tajik, Turkish and Uzbek.^[3]

Life

Erkin Vohidovich Vohidov was born on December 28, 1936, in Oltiariq District, Fergana Region, then the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic.^[4] His father, Choʻyanboy Vohidov, fought in the Soviet-German war against Nazi Germany and its allies and died in Tashkent after his return from the war. Vohidov was nine years old at the time. He reminisced about the hardships of the war years as follows:

While my father was fighting in the war, my mother worked as a secretary at the village council. We led a difficult life. I will never forget how my mother slapped my face and cried all day because I had sliced my tongue sucking a corn stalk and had eaten oil cake along with other kids.^[5]

In 1945, Vohidov moved to Tashkent with his mother, Roziyaxon Vohidova, who also soon passed away. He was raised by his uncle, Karimboy Sohiboyev. It was Vohidov's uncle who sparked his interest in poetry:

Even though my uncle was a lawyer, he was passionate about literature and art and appreciated poetry. I used to be amazed by the clever discussions of the poet Chustiy, singers the Shojalilov brothers, Maʼrufxoʻja Bahodirov, great scholar and translator Alixon Sogʻuniy, ordinary mailman Mulla Shukurjon, salesman Akmalxon – all of whom used to frequent our home. They would study the couplets of Hafez, Navoiy, Bedil and Fuzûlî and everyone would express his own interpretation. There was no alcohol, only intoxication with poetry and songs and the joy of jokes.^[5]

After graduating from the National University of Uzbekistan (then Tashkent State University) with a degree in philology in 1960, he started working at various publishing houses. Vohidov died on May 30, 2016, at the age of 79.^[6]

Work

Erkin Vohidov in 2006

Vohidov worked as an editor at Yosh Gvardiya, the Uzbek branch of Molodaya Gvardiya, from 1960 to 1963. He also worked as editor-in-chief at the same publishing house from 1975 to 1982. Vohidov also served as editor-in-chief (1963-1970) and director (1985-1987) of Gʻafur Gʻulom, another publishing house in Tashkent. From 1982 until 1985, he worked as the head of the monthly periodical Yoshlik (Childhood).^[7] After Uzbekistan gained independence, he worked as chairman of the Committee on International Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan (1995-2005) and chairman of the Senate Committee on Science, Education, Culture and Sport (2005-2009).^[8]

Vohidov started writing poetry during his student years. His first poem was published in the Mushtum magazine when he was fourteen years old.^[5] Vohidov's first collection of poems, Tong nafasi (The Breath of Morning), was published in 1961. In 1987, he published a collection of literary essays entitled Shoiru, sheʼru shuur: Adabiy esselar (The Poet, the Poem, and the Mind: Literary Essays). Vohidov wrote three plays, namely, Oltin devor (The Golden Wall), Istanbul fojiasi (The Istanbul Tragedy), and Ikkinchi tumor (The Second Talisman). His play Oltin devor was staged in Lahore, Pakistan.

Legacy

Vohidov is one of the most beloved poets among Uzbeks. Many places and institutions in Uzbekistan are named after him. In 2018, a boarding school bearing his name was established in the city of Margilan.^[11] The following year the Erkin Vohidov museum opened its doors in Margilan.^[12]

Several books have been written on the life and works of Vohidov, including Erkin Vohidov saboqlari (Lessons by Erkin Vohidov) (2016), To quyosh sochgayki nur (As Long As the Sun Shines) (2016), Soʻz sehri (The Magic of Language), Oʻzbegimning Erkin oʻzbegi (The Erkin of My Uzbek People).

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Erkin Vohidov.

• Website dedicated to Vohidov's life and work (in English) (in Russian) (in Uzbek)