Hamza Hakimzoda Niyoziy

Hamza Hakimzoda Niyoziy is one of the representatives of new-era Uzbek literature, a poet and playwright, composer and director, educator-pedagogue, and public figure. He enriched the classical literary genre of aruz meter with the help of the syllabic (barmoq) meter. Hamza left an indelible mark on the development of Uzbek national culture not only as a poet and playwright but also as a theater figure, composer, and musician.

Biography

One of the Tashkent metro stations and the current national theater have been named after Hamza.
On February 27, 1926, Hamza was one of the first to be awarded the title of «People's Writer of Uzbekistan».
Hamza Hakimzoda Niyoziy, one of the representatives of new-era Uzbek literature, a poet and playwright, composer and director, educator-pedagogue, and public figure, was born on March 7, 1889, in Kokand in the family of a physician. Hamza first studied at old-method schools and madrasas, mastering Persian and Arabic, and also managed to learn Russian by studying at a Russian-native school.
Hamza's interest in artistic creation began early. Between 1903 and 1914, Hamza wrote 197 poems under the pen name "Nihoniy" and compiled them into a manuscript divan.
In these poems, Hamza appears as a successor to the traditions of classical Uzbek literature.

Activities

When he was in Tashkent in 1909-1910, he met educators like Munavvar qori, A. Avloniy, and S. Rahimiy, and under their influence, he joined the Jadid movement. This was realized in three ways. First, he opened new-method schools in Tashkent, Margilan, and Kokand and taught there. Furthermore, he created textbooks for these schools such as «Yengil adabiyot» (Easy Literature), «O'qish kitobi» (Reading Book), and «Qiroat kitobi» (Recitation Book). Finally, he called his people to enlightenment in his poems, dramas, and journalistic articles.
His enlightenment ideas were fully manifested in the collection of national poems for «Milliy ashulalar» (National Songs) published in 1915-1916, in poetry collections like «Oq gul», «Qizil gul», and «Sariq gul», and in prose works like «Yangi saodat» (New Happiness). In his poems written during this period, such as «Yig'la Turkiston» (Cry Turkestan), «Oqibatsiz Turkiston» (Turkestan Without Consequence), «Vatandoshlarimga xitob» (Address to My Compatriots), and «Dardiga darmon istamas» (He Seeks No Cure for His Pain), he laments the state of the people who have become "a soulless body, blood does not spill if a dagger strikes," and invites them to emerge from the quagmire of superstition and ignorance and take their place among developed nations.
For example, in the poem «Millat deganlarning oqar ko'z yoshi» (Tears Flow from Those Who Say 'Nation'):
Either die for the sake of the nation, Nihoniy,
Or cut your loyalty to the nation for the sake of the world,
- the poet follows an inviting path.
After all, as an enlightenment writer, the poet previously took the side of the poor and orphans, saying: "Do not crush the orphans, saying there is no guardian at their head!" but today, standing in the Jadid movement, in the poem «Shundoq qolurmu?!» (Will It Remain So?!):
Will the future of Turkestan
Remain to you traitors?! -
he calls to the struggle.
This situation also rises to its culmination in a number of his dramas. By this time, he was also performing fruitful work as a playwright-enlightenment writer. In his early dramas such as «Ilm hidoyati», «Normuhammad domlaning kufr xatosi», «O'ch», and «Zaharli hayot», he puts forward the idea that the only way to get rid of oppression and superstition is through enlightenment.
The events of 1916 conscription for labor service (mardikorlik) also found their reflection in Hamza's work. In particular, his poetry collection «Safsar gul» (1917) and the trilogy «Loshman fojeasi» (The Tragedy of Loshman) (1916 - 1918) are important in this regard.
After the February Revolution of 1917, a wavering appeared in Hamza's worldview; he moved sometimes to the side of the autonomists and sometimes to the side of the workers. After the Turkestan autonomy was destroyed, he moved to the side of the Bolsheviks and served on the fronts of the civil war with his mobile dramatic troupe. During this period, he wrote plays such as «Boy ila xizmatchi» (The Rich and the Servant) (1917), «Kim to'g'ri?» (Who is Right?) (1918), and «Tuhmatchilar jazosi» (Punishment of the Slanderers) (1918).
Hamza, whose scope of activity was extremely wide, went to the Khorezm People's Republic in the early 20s and engaged in school and education affairs. After returning from there, wishing to be engaged only in creative work, he first went to his village and created the dramatic works «Maysaraning ishi» (The Case of Maysara) and «Paranji sirlari» (Secrets of the Paranja) (1926), which are the masterpieces of his dramatic work.
In August 1928, Hamza was sent to Shohimardon. There he engaged in cultural-educational work and issues of women's liberation. On March 18, 1929, he died tragically there.
On February 27, 1926, Hamza was one of the first to be awarded the title of «People's Writer of Uzbekistan».