Erkin Vohidov

In the work of Erkin Vohidov, one of the bright stars of modern Uzbek national literature, genres such as ghazal, qasida, and mukhammas take shape. He strives to enrich and perfect the experiences of classical literature in this field. Erkin Vohidov is a creator whose artistic skill has grown, reached maturity, and risen to the level of deep philosophical generalizations. He is a People's Poet of Uzbekistan and a Hero of Uzbekistan.

One of the bright stars of modern Uzbek national literature is Erkin Vohidov.

He was born on December 28, 1936, in the Oltiariq district of Fergana region into a teacher's family. His father, Cho'yanboy Vohidov, returned to Tashkent from the front at the end of the war and died there. Later, his mother, Roziyaxon Vohidova (Sohiboyeva), also passed away.

The future poet was raised by his uncle, Karimboy Sohiboyev.

Erkin Vohidov received his secondary education in Tashkent. In 1960, he graduated from the Faculty of Philology of Tashkent State University and initially worked as an editor, then as editor-in-chief, and later as a leader at the former «Yosh Gvardiya» and G'afur G'ulom Literature and Art Publishing House. He served as editor for the «Yoshlik» magazine. During the years of independence, he actively participated in the Republic's social life as the head of the Committee on International Relations and Affairs of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan. He was a member of the Senate of Uzbekistan.

Activities

His first poem was published when he was 14 years old and in the 7th grade. When he turned 16, his poem titled «Manzara» was published. While the beauty of nature was depicted sincerely in it, soon after, addressing his friends, he said:

I wish there to be joy,

May merry laughter take wing.

May it pour like a waterfall of songs,

May life feel like a song, -

entering the great caravan of creativity with his good intentions, great hope, and pure heart.

In many of the poems included in the poet's collections «Tong nafasi» (1961), «Qo'shig'im sizga» (1962), «Aql va yurak» (1963), and «Mening yulduzim» (1964), one begins to notice growth and maturity in both his artistic thinking and poetic style. Now the poet rises from simple life perceptions towards much deeper thinking. Especially in poems like «Fursat - oltin» and «Inson», the poet's perception of life deepens even further.

Singing an ode about man, he comes to the conclusion: «As they make the earth beautiful, Man himself also becomes beautiful». He glorifies labor, beauty, and goodness. At this same time, another important striving begins to appear in the poet's work. He now seeks nourishment from the traditions of our classical literature. His poems like «G'uncha», «Azganush», and «Fuzuliy haykali yonida» were his first bold explorations in this regard. Consequently, along with the diversity of genre and style in the poet's work, the scope of topics also expands. This situation is clearly visible in poems such as «Chirchiq», «Do'stim», and «Olimlarning rafiqalariga».

Thus, in E. Vohidov's work, genres such as ghazal, qasida, and mukhammas take shape. He strives to enrich and perfect the experiences of classical literature in this field. Especially, the poems included in the «Yoshlik» (1969) divan are noteworthy in this regard.

From this period on, the poet traveled the world, saw the world, and came to know the world. Based on these impressions, he created new poetic collections such as «Tirik sayyoralar» (1978) and «Sharqiy qirg'oq» (1981). The fate of man, his happiness, and his future become the themes of the poet's work.

In the poems included in his collections «Kelajakka maktub» (1983) and «Yaxshidir achchiq haqiqat» (1992), the idea of nurturing a great, pure, truthful, and vigilant person takes the lead. At this point, we cannot bypass the lines where the philosopher poet's prophecy about the future finds its vivid expression. His poems such as «Vatan istagi», «Devona haqgo'y», and «Iztirob» are particularly significant in this regard. In the poem «Vatan istagi», while the former USSR still existed, the poet wrote:

The heart wishes to build a Homeland from this homeland,

The heart wishes to see itself like a free bird, -

saying this, he wished to see the future independent Homeland - Uzbekistan.

The poet's lyrical-epic works such as «Buyuk hayot tongi» (1960), «Orzu chashmasi» (1964), «Nido» (1964), «Palatkada yozilgan doston» (1966), «Quyosh maskani» (1972), «Ruhlar isyoni» (1980), and «Ko'hinur» (1982), as well as his poetic dramas such as «Oltin devor» and «Istambul fojiasi», are the fruits of his great creative labor.

Such productive work brought Erkin Vohidov the appreciation of the nation. On the occasion of his 60th birthday, he was awarded the «Buyuk xizmatlari uchun» (1996) order.

The poet's four-volume «Saylanma asarlar» (Selected Works) was published.

In short, Erkin Vohidov is a creator whose artistic skill has grown, reached maturity, and risen to the level of deep philosophical generalizations.

Hero of Uzbekistan, People's Poet of Uzbekistan, and famous creator Erkin Vohidov passed away on May 30, 2016, after a long illness.