Ozod Sharafiddinov: The role of the writer in translation science and Uzbek criticism

       Abstract: In Uzbek literature, many accomplished artists are recognized not only in Uzbekistan, but all over the world, and their works are studied as an important part of the scientific and literary world. Ozod Sharafiddinov is a scientist who made a great contribution to the development of Uzbek literature and the art of translation. His scientific and practical work in the fields of literary criticism, translation theory and artistic translation introduced a new approach to some important directions. This article analyzes the life and scientific activity of Ozod Sharafiddinov and his contribution to the fields of translation and literary criticism.

       Key words: literary criticism, translation, philosophical thinking, structuralism, Uzbek criticism, philosophy, aesthetic harmony, technical artist.

        In modern literary studies, the development of literary text analysis methods, theory of translation and literary criticism is closely related to the scientific heritage of mature scientists. The scientific researches of Ozod Sharafiddinov, who formed a unique theoretical approach in Uzbek literary criticism, are of great importance not only in the national but also in the context of world literary studies. He was born on March 1, 1929 in the village of Okhunkainar near Kokan. After graduating from school in Tashkent, he graduated from the Faculty of Philology of the Central Asian State University, completed post-graduate studies in Moscow and received the degree of candidate of science. One of the most famous works of Ozod Sharafiddinov is “Time. Heart. Poetry” included the literary critical researches of the writer related to the problems of poetry in those times. The work also contains literary and critical articles written by the writer about Uzbek poetry and its situation, literary works are studied from the point of view of the laws of art. His research is based on the analysis of national ideals and literary laws.

Ozod Sharafiddinov’s ideas about the creative personality and his place in artistic works are interpreted in the work “Literary Etudes”. His works such as “First Miracle”, “Talent-People’s Property”, “Literature-People’s Property” and “In Search of Beauty” covered the important issues of Uzbek poetry, prose and criticism one by one.

The first period is the years of  Soviet, and the second is the years after independence. In his books “Independence Devotees”, “Sardaftar satrlar”, “On the Paths of Spiritual Perfection”, the writer analyzed with a new look and a new approach the work of his great ancestors, such as Abdurauf Fitrat, Abdulkhamid Chulpan, Osman Nasir, Oybek, Abdulla Kahhar, Gafur Ghulam. Especially, the writer’s research on the works of Chulpan deserve special recognition. For example, in the work “Understanding Chulpan”, the writer analyzes the complex path of the new Uzbek criticism in the 20th century, and sheds light on the work of many critics from the point of view of Chulpan’s work. The place of Uzbek literature in the world and its scientific and spiritual roots are studied and the book “The Happiness of Realizing Creativity” is considered as the peak of creativity of Ozod Sharafiddinov. At this point, it is necessary to pay special attention to the legacy of the writer in the field of translation.

Because the writer introduced the concept of criticism to the art of translation. “Confession” by Leo Tolstoy, “The Chemist” by P. Coelho, “Stop the plane, I’m falling!” by A. Sevela, which are loved by world readers as masterpieces of world literature His works were translated into Uzbek by Ozod Sharafiddinov and reached the hands of Uzbek book lovers. Of course, all the writer’s creative works, artistic and scientific works, as well as translations, played a special role in raising the thinking of our people and enriching our national literature.

          Literary criticism: an in-depth analysis of a literary text. Ozod Sharafiddinov saw literary criticism not only as a means of evaluating the work, but also as a method of studying the internal system of the text and interpreting it in a socio-philosophical context. His research covers a number of areas. For example, in the structuralism of the artistic text, the system of literary images and their dynamics, the compositional structure of the work and its aesthetic impact are analyzed. The direction of ideological-aesthetic harmony is very important and includes the analysis of the national and universal significance of the work, the evaluation of the personality of the writer and his creative principles. Each work has its own language, style, nature, and the study of the influence of language and style on the content of the text is a special direction in the analysis of the work.  

According to Ozod Sharafiddinov’s theory, literary criticism is not only a means of looking for the shortcomings of a work, but also a means of revealing its artistic-aesthetic, philosophical and social essence. Scientist emphasized how important it is to maintain the balance between the originality and the translation. O. Sharafiddinov developed fundamental scientific approaches in the development of the Uzbek translation school. He analyzed the problems encountered in the translation process and their solutions. According to his theory, translation theory should rely on several important factors.

Faithfulness to the original and maintaining the harmony of national thinking, realizing the importance of the translator’s role in re-creating the text are among these. In fact, the work of translators is very important not only in literature, but also in the world community and international friendship. Because cultural codes are transformed in the process of translation. International communication is ensured through artistic translation. Based on the scientific views of the writer, in today’s translation practice, the combination of faithfulness to the original and national thinking is seen as an important methodological principle. Today’s scientific researches show that Sharafiddinov’s approaches play an extremely important role in the development of modern literary criticism and translation theory. Based on his scientific concepts, new trends such as deep research of semiotic and linguistic foundations of translation and enrichment of literary criticism with philosophical thinking entered the literature.

          Summary. The scientific legacy of Ozod Sharafiddinov left an indelible mark on the development of Uzbek literary studies and translation theory. He discovered literary criticism as not just a tool for evaluating a work, but a scientific approach that reveals its inner essence. Despite the fact that the artistic works he analyzed reflected the socio-cultural environment of his time, he also gave a guide to modern literary processes by studying their internal structures.

According to the writer, every created artistic work should be considered as a part of the spiritual heritage of humanity, different peoples and different destinies, along with being a product of the thinking of its time. The writer’s creativity and love for translation praised the fact that the translator is not only a technical creator who translates the text into another language, but also a creative person who creates a bridge between two cultures.  

After all, the process of translation is not a simple change of language, but an art of keeping the balance of meaning and aesthetic harmony.  By further developing the fields of literary criticism and translation theory, researchers following in the footsteps of Ozod Sharafiddinov not only contribute to the recognition of Uzbek literature on a global scale, but also serve to expand the boundaries of scientific thinking. His scientific legacy does not lose its relevance no matter how fast time passes, but on the contrary, it creates a solid ground for new research.

References:

• https://uz.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozod_Sharafiddinov

• Bekmurodov H. (2018). Basics of Uzbek translation theory. Tashkent: Science and technology.

• Venuti L. (2008). The Translator’s Invisibility: A History of Translation. London: Routledge.

• Rasulov (2000). A. Talent and belief. Tashkent. East

Ochildiyeva Shahnoza

1st-year student at Journalism and Mass Communications university of  Uzbekistan, Faculty of English Philology and Language Teaching

sky earth soul winter

blue light shows through. the world awakens from slumber. inside dreams the soul was around others once known, but they did not recognize the soul and the soul did not reach out to them. some kind of auditorium. just the filtering and remnants of the far past perhaps. the mind has its own time, and is time. identify the dream but ignore. like when your foot is asleep. it will go away, through time, or be walked and healed. the blue gets lighter. it had snowed all night. the snow had its own beauty and nuance. on eaves. on branches. on rooftops. even on cars. somewhere a solitary fox perhaps walks, looking at the world, the grounds, fluffy tailed and red. there was a field immense and if the soul glanced at it, well just sometimes there would be a coyote near the middle standing.

and if the soul stared long the coyote would notice and look back. but this had not happened in a long time. the field seemed to be without anything but the snow reeds here and there and the lines like small narrow swaths some farmer must have made with a tractor in the brighter warmer days. the soul still imagined that the coyote was somewhere, and took refuge in the thought. why? because the world around there was so hum-drum-glum,- mediocre, full of sameness. sometimes a hawk watched the fields though. the blue that turned light blue had become almost a white firmament. to be a poet is to be invisible for better or worse, mused the soul passively. to be a poet is akin to being a ghost. ‘You are like a ghost,’ someone had said. but it wasn’t positive or pejorative, it had just been a statement. a stationary tractor sat forever by a field. in the late spring or summer the tractors moved again, like bees come to life buzzing and when they did, it could be incessantly. make way air. make way field. make way. there was a place on the outskirts of towns not overtaken by progress. once the soul knew the people there. they liked the soul but the soul was solitary and aloof from birth and this must have been written in a natal chart. somewhere. in the Akashic. not on anything in life as the time was unrecorded, unknown. and the birth time was needed for a proper chart. journey. the dawn. the snow. the times. the opacity of the upwards air. ah well. good enough. step and step. one day spring would see fit to show itself again.

As kind as a mother, as dear as a father,  

There is a being who is cherished like a friend.  

Carrying my burdens on their shoulders,  

Holding my hands, helping me overcome hurdles.

Introducing the good and the bad,  

Enlightening the heart with the light of knowledge.  

Awakening beautiful virtues in the heart,  

Completely forgetting their own comfort.

NATION, MOTHER, FRIENDSHIP, LOVE, and AFFECTION,  

Demonstrating their essence like a guiding flame,  

Burning for someone’s destiny,  

Spending sleepless nights in their thoughts.

Yet there’s no debt for all this love!  

Only a bright future is my only reward.  

If my heart is a mountain, should I succeed,  

It will embrace me, saying, “My child!”

If I achieve my goals,  

All my efforts are merely a drop in the ocean.  

If I weigh both of us on the scale,  

THIS HUMAN is the ocean, and I am simply a drop.

Life flows like a rushing river,  

Constantly adding youth with every passing moment.  

But I will not erase this person from my heart,  

The loving TEACHER who introduced me to the world.

Musurmonova Gulshoda Olimjon qizi was born on March 9, 1997, in Jizzakh district of Jizzakh region. After completing secondary school, she attended an academic lyceum and then continued her education at Jizzakh State Pedagogical Institute in the Faculty of Primary Education.

During those years, her interest in writing poetry began to develop. Currently, she is teaching primary classes at school number 42 under the system of MMTB in Sharof Rashidov district of Jizzakh region.

Gulshoda is married, and her poetry predominantly covers themes such as Parents, Homeland, Love, Consequences, and Life. She deeply expresses human feelings and promotes enlightenment in her works.

Mother Courage and Her Children is a theatre of the absurd canonizing nihilistic expressionism in modern European drama through the nebulous and meteoric phenomenon that crusading battlements feed people better as Marxist dialectics of warfare polity enterprise. Modernist playwright and avant-gardist theatrical theoretician sheds light in the evolution of constant revolutionizing of production, the uninterrupted disturbances of all social conditions, and the everlasting agitation and agony. Anna Fierling’s femininity, womanhood and motherhood is marred by the deterrent of trauma, violence, famine, poverty, bloodshed and civil wars, massacres and genocides and finally the bereavement of family members to geopolitical crises. Kattrin is a dumb disability rape victim of beleaguered Catholic regiment and her life is doomed to the brink of death at the expanse of messianic heraldry to awaken the Ingolstadt community and Utretch neighbourhood against the impending imperilment.

In context of postmodernism, post marxism, post communism, post stalinism, post fascism, postnazism the post Brechtian epic theatre is a treasure hunt of excavating and critiquing geopolitical tensions and conflicts amid globalization, liberalization, privatization, internationalization and sanction-counter sanction policies. Terrains and frontiers of capitalistic mercenary profiteering warfare politics usher satire of Mother Courage and Her Children to be cornerstone significance in contemporary legacy of Israel and Gaza or Russia and Ukraine. However, Mother Courage’s stony heartedness disentangles and estranges the stance of motherhood for preservation stake of survivalist livelihood; coldheartedness diminishes in grief stricken soul and freezing heart to glimpse the postmortem view of Swiss Cheese’s dead corpse. Resourcefulness, resilience, craftiness, perspicacity and intuitiveness deserves heartfelt kudos and laurel accolades as a gendered quester and displacement refugee of racial and ethnic migrant to spatiotemporal dystopian apocalypse. Exilic Brecht’s rage and fury was subjected to the temperamental vehemence of the then World War II Nazi German Holocaust. Atisemitism forges a cascade of hatred, oppression, antipathy, intolerance, inhumanity and barbarism towards Jewishness. Perpetual horror and terror of Nazi Germany substantively mirrors excruciating endangerment of Mother Courage as foretold by the tragic death chronicles of her Swiss Cheese and Eiliff. In Mother Courage and Her Children, Kattrin symbolically  resurrects the foreshadowing of Anne Frank’s afterthought that “Dead people receive more flowers than the living ones because regret is stronger than gratitude”. Through Kattrin’s heroic demise and sacrificial martyrdom Brecht spotlights the Marxist resistance and Marxist revolution. Her dumbness is transformatively changed to the libertarian human voices from the performativity of forces which render silence. Destruction and desolation of entrenched warfares afterall allegorizes the wartime backdrop of the theatrical production. Furthermore, Mother Courage’s staking of autonomy and individuality vis a-vis establishment and enfranchisement for her labour, worth, power and profit parallels resistance and struggles of the serfs and proletariat of Nazi Germany.  

Audiences and theatre critics speculate anti war play today as a reflection of warzones wherein mother courages are locked into the closets of detention centres throughout certainly. Bold and radical theatres and productions stage the modern European drama Mother Courage and Her Children as theatrical revue. Suffering and survival of the battlefields in the war frontiers of geopolitical disruptions lead to victimhood from war casualties. Dramatis’ personae of Mother Courage’s pragmatism engulfs her sentimentality into obscurity through the let bygones be bygones realism of continuity with the trade. Moreover, the future and safety of Eiliff and Kattrin are of paramount importance as revealed by the brunt of conservancy of the wagon. Mother Courage’s socioeconomic status facilitates her transcendentalist redemption from economic encumbrance and financial bankruptcy. However, “when the war gives you all you earn, one day it may claim something in return” is denunciation of the sergeant starkly apparent in the pawnship of Swiss Cheese’s life. Formidable survivor Anna Fierling is much more a character of the petty bourgeois class evolving into the exemplar premise of socialist realism with the coalescence of the Cold War as anti-capital and anti-war epic theatre. Afterall, Mother Courage’s polarized dual personality as both heartless speculator and tormented maternal figure are entrenched with inexpressibly incompatible paradoxical gulf between herself and the world. Anna Fierling’s modern disfigurement foreshadows the relationships between commodities, money and the marketplace that perverts human relationships and is ultimately inimical to life. Her wagon is a hallmark symbol of profiteering capitalistic enterprise of a doggerel and bloody warfare as well as unfolkloric and unsentimental victimhood of traumatic survival. 

Bertolt Brecht as a precursor of anti war epic theater heralds the harbinger of impending second world war and the dangers associated with victimization in traits of Solomon, Julius Caesar, Socrates and St. Martin. Although these personages are heroically admirable for their humane virtues, however, they are cowardly and despicable for being preys of wartime. The Brechtian epic theatre focuses dialectical social critique rather than tragicomedy to educate critical faculties for the reception of alienated point of view and detached perspectives. Willing suspension of disbelief  is somewhat polar opposites to Brecht’s engendering of illusion.

Further Reading, References, Endnotes and Podcasts

Belvoir 2015 production of Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht Translation Michael Gow Music Composition Stefan Gregory Director Eamon Flack Notes for Teachers, pp: 1-23

https://journeys.dartmouth.edu/mothercourage/historical-context/

Rational Irrationality

Review Paper on Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht

The Death of Tragedy George Steiner pp. 1-40

Konstantin Stanislavski An Actor Prepares pp. 1-20

Mother Courage and Her Children On Stage and Screen by Ralf Remshardt, pp. 1-10

Mother Courage and Her Children Study Guide Bertold Brecht in a new version with Peter Hinton a national Arts Center English Theatre Company Manitoba Theatre Centre (Winnipeg) Coproduction, pp. 1-28

Topic: “In New Uzbekistan, youth issues have been elevated to the level of state policy”

Author: Abdulaapipov Azamat Abdulazizovich  

Chief Leader of the Tashkent City Branch of the Organization of Children of Uzbekistan  

11th Grade Student of General Education School No. 186,

Shaykhontohur District, Tashkent City.

All over the world, youth are the continuators of all spheres of activity. Currently, the world’s population has exceeded 8 billion people, with about 20% being young people. In Uzbekistan, this figure exceeds 60%.

In 2016, an important document was signed for Uzbek youth. It was the first normative legal act signed by Shavkat Mirziyoyev as President of the Republic of Uzbekistan—the Law on State Youth Policy dated September 14, 2016. This law opened up significant opportunities for all the youth of Uzbekistan. Since more than half of the country’s population consists of young people, the consistent implementation of youth policy has become a crucial factor in Uzbekistan’s entry into the ranks of the most developed countries in the world. This is well understood by the country’s leadership and government.

When talking about attention to youth in our country, one cannot forget the figures of the Jadid movement who lived during the era of Turkestan, such as Gulom Zafarij, Munavvar-kori Abdurashidkhanov, Abdulla Qadiri, Abdurauf Fitrat, Iskhakhan Tura Ibrat, Abdulla Avloni, Abduhamid Chulpon, and Mahmukhodja Behbudi. They promoted knowledge among the youth of Turkestan. Our President speaks about these ancestors as follows:  

«The new schools, theaters, libraries, museums, newspapers, and magazines created by the Jadids, as well as charitable societies that sent children from Turkestan abroad for education, awakened our people from centuries of slumber and gave a powerful impetus to the national liberation movement,» says President Sh. Mirziyoyev.

Today, youth policy, issues concerning youth, protection of their rights and interests, and the upbringing of well-rounded, energetic young people are defined as a priority direction for all state bodies and ministries in Uzbekistan.

In Uzbekistan, based on the principle of «Youth Balance,» youth are divided into three categories: «good,» «average,» and «difficult.» It is important to note that youth from the «difficult» category do not go unnoticed. On the contrary, the state pays special attention to them, providing support and involving heads of ministries, departments, khokims (governors), and leaders of all divisions who are assigned to such young people, treating them as their own children. They listen to their problems and help resolve socio-economic issues.

To raise independent and patriotic young people who can use the internet rationally, training centers for «Digital Technologies» have been established in all regions. The state views the opportunities provided to youth and the funds allocated not as expenses but as investments in the future of the country.

In 2019, the President proposed «5 Initiatives» covering five important areas that played a significant role in the fate of youth. For example, gifted young people receive a car as a presidential prize by winning one of the contests. The implementation of these 5 initiatives marked a new milestone in the history of youth education in Uzbekistan. Additionally, young women have been given opportunities to engage in entrepreneurial activities thanks to financial resources allocated by the state, which has become another incentive for them.

At the initiative of the President, children of law enforcement officers can enter universities on state grants without entrance exams and are provided with all necessary conditions.

A fund called «Youth – Our Future» has been established to finance youth business initiatives, startups, ideas, and projects.

To support people with disabilities and low-income families in need, a system called «Unified Social Protection Registry» has been created. Additionally, «National Agency for Social Protection,» «Iron Book,» and «Women’s Book» have been introduced to address the problems faced by needy families.

Youth who are unemployed receive financial support through the «Youth Book» program to acquire desired professions. It should be noted that in the «Action Strategy» for five priority areas of development of the Republic of Uzbekistan from 2017 to 2021, special attention was given to youth issues. In particular, the protection of youth rights was designated as one of the main tasks.

In Uzbekistan, youth is viewed not as a «problem» of society but as a powerful force driving the country’s development, a strategic resource for the state. As a result, today educated, progressive-thinking, principled young people are becoming an increasingly important driving force for the future of the country.

An Agency for Youth Affairs has been established in the republic to develop and implement youth policy. This agency actively works on and develops new projects and initiatives aimed at benefiting the youth. It has become a support system for young people living in the country. Today, the agency sets ambitious goals and, with the trust of the state, works at the grassroots level—in villages, towns, districts, and regions. Now, advisors to khokims and youth leaders in mahallas provide support for their development.

In the modern era, the youth of Uzbekistan can read books online, learn foreign languages remotely, and acquire professions through online courses. The Children’s Organization of Uzbekistan is engaged in activities aimed at the active participation of children in public life, despite their young age. Members of this organization, known as leaders, can hold positions at the level of class, school, district, region, city, and republic. School students can become leaders, which allows them to grow as future political figures and gain deep knowledge. Leadership is an important process. Students who go through leadership activities can occupy high state positions in the future.

On the international stage, Uzbekistan is recognized as one of the fastest-growing countries in the field of youth policy. The country has entered the top ten states participating in the implementation of the UN strategy «Youth Strategy – 2030.» Furthermore, Uzbekistan’s capital, Tashkent, has been declared the youth capital for the first time in the CIS.

Thus, the youth of New Uzbekistan continues to inherit the strength, knowledge, and initiative of their ancestors, such as the great mathematician al-Khwarizmi, scholar and engineer Ahmad al-Fergani, hadith scholar al-Bukhari, philosopher al-Farabi, encyclopedic scholar al-Biruni, physician Avicenna, poet Alisher Navoi, statesman Amir Timur, and many others. The youth of New Uzbekistan continues to strive for development and the construction of a prosperous future for the country.

His Mercy in my Depressed State 

In His shadow of warmth 

I take solace 

when my bouts of despair 

seem to set in.

When I get exhausted by 

the realities of my own 

trials and adversities.

I look to the hills from whence

my teary eyes get their arid relief.

There are moments I find myself sunken deep in my own melancholy.

When I seethe with frustration at the slightest provocation of my own depression.

At such unpleasant moments, I find myself diving instantly into His Ocean of grace and infinite mercy,

only to emerge later from my baptism of succour.

Anna Keiko (China)

Anna Keiko, a distinguished poetess and essayist from Shanghai, China, has made a profound impact on contemporary literature. A graduate of Shanghai East China University with a Bachelor’s degree in Law, she has achieved global recognition for her poetry, which has been translated into more than 30 languages and published in over 500 journals, magazines, and media outlets across 40 countries. Keiko is the founder and chief editor of the ACC Shanghai Huifeng Literature Association and serves as a Chinese representative and director of the International Cultural Foundation Ithaca. Her affiliations extend to Immagine & Poesia in Italy and the Canadian-Cuban Literary Union, reflecting her commitment to fostering cross-cultural literary exchanges.

Her poetic oeuvre spans six collections, including “Lonely in the Blood and Absurd Language”, showcasing her exploration of human emotions, environmental concerns, and existential themes. Her innovative style and evocative imagery have earned her numerous accolades, such as the 30th International Poetry Award in Italy and the World Peace Ambassador Certificate in 2024. Notably, she was the first Chinese recipient of the Cross-Cultural Exchange Medal for Significant Contribution to World Poetry, awarded in the United States in 2023.

Her works, including “Octopus Bones” and other acclaimed poems, have resonated with readers worldwide, garnering invitations to prominent international poetry festivals and conferences. Her dedication to the arts extends beyond poetry, encompassing prose, essays, lyrics, and drama, underscoring her versatility as a writer. Nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2020, Anna Keiko continues to break barriers, bringing Chinese literature to the global stage.