Abdulhamid Sulaymon oʻgʻli Yunusov, most commonly known by his penname Choʻlpon, was an Uzbek poet, playwright, novelist, and literary translator. Choʻlpon was one of Central Asia's most popular poets during the first half of the 20th century. He was also the first person to translate William Shakespeare's plays into the Uzbek language. Choʻlpon's works had a major impact on the works of other Uzbek writers. He was one of the first authors to introduce realism into Uzbek literature. Choʻlpon was executed during the Great Purge under the leadership of Joseph Stalin.
Life
Abdulhamid Sulaymon oʻgʻli Yunusov was born in 1893 in Andijan. His father, Sulaymonqul Mulla Muhammad Yunus oʻgʻli, was a learned man. Choʻlpon first studied at a madrasa. Later he enrolled in a Russian tuzem school, an elementary school for non-Russians in Turkestan. From 1919 until 1920, Choʻlpon worked as editor-in-chief of the newspaper TurkROSTA. He also worked on the editorial board of many other publications, such as Ishtirokiyun, Qizil bayroq, Turkiston, Buxoro axbori, and Darhon. Like many Uzbek authors of his time, such as Abdulla Qodiriy and Abdulrauf Fitrat, Choʻlpon was executed during the Great Purge under the leadership of Joseph Stalin. He was arrested as "enemy of the people" in 1937 and was killed on 4 October 1938.
Work
Choʻlpon's first poems were published in Oʻzbek yosh shoirlari, a collection of poems by young Uzbek poets, in 1922. His three collections of poems, namely, Uygʻonish , Buloqlar , and Tong sirlari were published during his lifetime. Choʻlpon's novel Kecha va kunduz is one of the most highly acclaimed novels in Uzbek literature. Choʻlpon's works had a major impact on the works of other Uzbek writers. He was one of the first authors to introduce realism into Uzbek literature. Choʻlpon used clear and straightforward language in his works. He appealed to Uzbek national identity in some of his works and because of it was criticized as a bourgeois nationalist in Sovietsources. He was finally rehabilitated during glasnost. In addition to writing numerous poems, plays, and short stories, Choʻlpon translated the works of many famous foreign writers, such as Alexander Pushkin, Maxim Gorky, and William Shakespeare into the Uzbek language. In particular, he translated Shakespeare's Hamlet into Uzbek. He also translated Boris Godunov and Dubrovsky of Pushkin.
