Maqsud Shayxzoda

Maqsud Shayxzoda (Azerbaijani: Maqsud Şeyxzadə, Uzbek: Maqsud Shayxzoda; born November 7, 1908; died February 19, 1967, in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR) was a Soviet-Uzbek writer, poet, playwright; literary and linguistic scholar, author of translations of classical works of world literature into Uzbek (Shakespeare, Pushkin, Lermontov, Akhundov, Rustaveli, Charents, Mayakovsky, Byron and others) and educator. He was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Uzbek SSR in 1964. By nationality, he was an Azerbaijani.

Life
He received his primary education at the Ryushdiye School founded by the educator Muhtar Efendi. From 1920 to 1925, he studied by correspondence at the Baku Pedagogical Institute, where he was taught by prominent teachers such as Huseyn Javid, Abdullah Shaik, Jabbar Efendizade, Medina Giasbeyli and the folk teacher Jamo Jebrajlbej. After graduating, he taught for two years in educational institutions in Derbent and Buynaksk in Dagestan.

In 1928, when the persecution of national intellectuals by the Bolsheviks began in the Azerbaijan SSR, Maqsud Shayxzoda was exiled to Tashkent. In 1933, he graduated from the Baku Pedagogical Institute. From 1933 to 1935, he completed a postgraduate program at the Scientific Committee of the People's Commissariat of the Uzbek SSR. In the years 1935 to 1938, he was a research fellow at the Institute of Language and Literature named after A.S. Pushkin of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR.

From 1938, he taught Uzbek literature history at the Tashkent Pedagogical Institute named after Nizami, where he also served as dean of the faculty and head of the department of Uzbek literature. He published regularly in periodicals. His active translation work, his studies in the field of Uzbek literature and his pedagogical activity made him known in the scientific community of Uzbekistan.

In September 1952, he was accused of spreading counter-revolutionary ideas and declared the leader of an underground organization. As an enemy of the people, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison based on the betrayal of colleagues and friends. In the 1950s, he was released from the camp near Irkutsk and rehabilitated.

In 1960, he joined the CPSU and continued his artistic and pedagogical activity. He was awarded the Order “For Outstanding Achievements” (2001, posthumously), the Order “Badge of Honor of the Soviet Union” and medals. In 1964, he received the title of “Honored Artist of the Uzbek SSR”.

Works
Maqsud Shayxzoda began writing poems during his school years and recited them at school events. His first poem was published in 1921 in Baku in the newspaper “Коммунист”. Most of the poems of this period, which were written in Azerbaijani, have been preserved as manuscripts in the “Тетради Шейхзаде”.

After his exile, his first collection of poems in Uzbek, titled “Десять стихотворений”, was published in Tashkent in 1930. This was followed by other collections, including “Созвучные мне” (1933), “Третья книга” (1934) and “Республика” (1935). His poems from this period are examples of civic and love poetry. He actively experimented with meter and tried his hand at other poetic genres, but with less success.

During the Second World War, Maqsud Shayxzoda published several collections of poems such as “За что борьба?” (What is the war for?), “Битва и песня” (Battle and song), “Сердце говорит” (The heart speaks), “Сааз” (Melody) and “Грозою рождённые” (Born by the storm) (the last three in Russian). He also wrote a number of epics, among which the most noteworthy are the epics “Одиннадцатые” (The Eleventh), “Женя” (Zhenya), “Третий сын” (The Third Son) and “Аксакал” (The Elder) about Yuldash Oxunboboyev.

During this time period, Maqsud Shayxzoda composed his most significant dramatic work, the tragedy “Mirzo Ulugbek” (1964), about the last years of the emir and scholar Mirza Ulugbek, who lived in the 14th century in Samarkand. Besides this play, which he also adapted for the film “The Stars of Ulugbek” (director Latif Fayziev, 1964), the poet wrote the dramas “Джалаледдин Мангуберди” (Jalal ad-Din Manguberdi) (1941) about the struggle against the Mongol invasion in the 13th century and “Абу Рейхан Бируни” (Abu Rayhan al-Biruni) (not preserved) about a famous Uzbek scholar. The dramas of Maxud Şeyxzadə laid a solid foundation for the Uzbek dramatic creation.