Izzat Sulton

Izzat Sulton Otaxonovich (1910-2001) was a powerful writer who contributed to Uzbek literature, a scholar of literature, a critic, and one of the playwrights who pleased literature enthusiasts with many of his works. He is also the author of the first textbook on “Theory of Literature” in the Uzbek language. He was an Academician of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, an Honored Scientist of Uzbekistan, and a laureate of the Beruni State Prize.

Biography

Born on November 16, 1910, in Osh. In 1937, he graduated from the Tashkent Pedagogical Institute named after Nizami. Published in 1939, the “Theory of Literature” textbook served for many years as the only textbook in this field of science not only in Uzbekistan but also in other republics of Central Asia. Drama occupies a central place in Izzat Sulton's creative work.

The artistic devices in Izzat Sulton's dramas are simple and sincere, not immediately obvious. They are quickly visible to readers, spectators, and researchers with moral and intellectual preparation. There is only one reason for this. It is that the roots of this creative history have drunk from the springs of life and are hidden in the bosom of reality. The facts, situations, and events that moved the writer to take up his pen, inspired him, and triggered the transformation of one or another intention hidden in his heart into an artistic idea, have drawn from those fountains.

Once the facts, information, and events that invited the writer to write the work moved into the dramas, they did not remain simple; they came to life. Amidst specific images, ideological trends, and details, they began their renewed artistic life in art.

In the creative work of Academician Izzat Sulton, dramas such as “Alisher Navoiy”, “Imon” (Faith), “Noma’lum kishi” (The Unknown Person), “Ko‘rmayin bosdim tikonni” (I Stepped on a Thorn Without Seeing), “Donishmandning yoshligi” (The Youth of the Wise), “Qaqnus” (Phoenix), “Yangi odamlar” (New People), “Oydin kecha asirligida” (In the Captivity of a Moonlight Night), and “Istehkom” (Fortress); fundamental studies such as “Navoiyning qalb daftari” (Navoi's Heart Diary), “Adabiyot nazariyasi” (Theory of Literature), and “Drama — adabiy tur sifatida” (Drama as a Literary Genre); cinematic works titled “Buyuk Alisher” (The Great Alisher), “Shoir qalbi” (Poet's Heart), and “Fidoyi” (The Devoted); about five hundred scientific-theoretical articles; and over a dozen monographs and studies related to the history and theory of Uzbek literature occupy an important place. They place the name of Izzat Sulton in the ranks of such brilliant and graceful figures as Oybek, G‘afur G‘ulom, Abdulla Qahhor, Maqsud Shayxzoda, Mirtemir, Zulfiya, and Asqad Muxtor.

As time passes, Izzat Sulton's place in our science and art is becoming more apparent. The luminous aspects of his multifaceted and content-rich creative work are becoming even brighter. Works created by Izzat Sulton are kept in our libraries, and the writer's life and work are studied with interest by readers.

A glance at the life and work of Izzat Sulton

Literary scholar, critic, and playwright Izzat Otaxonovich Sultonov was born on November 29, 1910, in the city of Osh, Kyrgyzstan. The dialogue held with Izzat Sulton in the early years of independence proves how multifaceted the scholar and playwright's activity was. In 2007, the interviewer, Doctor of Philological Sciences O‘tkir Shokirov, published this dialogue under the title “Qaqnus qo‘shig‘i” (Song of the Phoenix) in issues 3-4 of the “Teatr” magazine. In the article, Izzat Sulton recalls his childhood years as follows:

“I was an orphan. My father died early. My mother fed us five orphans by baking bread. When education officials asked to hand us over to orphanages, my mother did not allow it. It was considered shameful, with people saying, “She couldn't even feed her own children.” Besides, rumors circulated that if you went to an orphanage, they would baptize you and feed you pork. One day, while I was walking on the street, a man said: “Are you Otaxon's child?” I said “Yes.” “Come, I will take you to a place,” he said.

He took me to the mayor's house. It turned out an orphanage was located in this house. I looked, everything was white, beautiful houses, white clothes, pictures on the walls. Muslim teachers. No one was demanding we eat pork. Having been there until evening, I said, “I am going home. My mother will worry.” That man said, “I will tell your mother, I will bring her tomorrow.” The next day he brought my mother. My mother also stayed there for a day and left me. In those days, children in orphanages were called “government children.” Thus, I am a “government child,” a person raised in that era...”

Coming to Tashkent at the age of 14, the adolescent studied at a workers' youth school called “Namuna,” then graduated from a pedagogical technical school (1929) and taught at a school (1930). In 1930-1931, he studied at the Social Faculty of SAGU (now the National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek). He graduated from the Tashkent Pedagogical Institute named after Nizami (1937). He combined his postgraduate studies (1934-1937) with journalistic and critical activity. Izzat Sulton's intense social activity began in 1937.

He worked as Deputy Director of the Institute of Language and Literature (1937-1942), Deputy Chairman of the State Radio Broadcasting Committee of Uzbekistan (1942-1943), Director of the Tashkent Film Studio (1943-1945), Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of Uzbekistan for Cultural Affairs (1945-1948), Director of the Institute of Language and Literature of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan (1948-1951), Department Head (since 1956), teacher at the International Literature Department of Moscow State University (1950-1953), and Secretary of the Writers' Union of Uzbekistan (1955-1958).

Izzat Sulton was never indifferent to scientific and creative activity. Influenced by his mentor Fitrat, he became a specialist in the theory of literature. Following A. Sa’diy and Fitrat, he created the “Theory of Literature” (1939) school textbook. He wrote the drama “Burgutning parvozi” (Flight of the Eagle) (1940). In 1980, he created a “Theory of Literature” textbook for higher education institutions.

Izzat Sulton received his candidate of philological sciences degree in 1947, and his doctor of philological sciences degree in 1954. “Navoiyning qalb daftari” (Navoi's Heart Diary) (1969) is considered the peak of Izzat Sulton's scientific work. This work was published in Russian in the translation of A. Zirin in 1979-1985.

The scholar's knowledge in the field of classical philosophy and literature is clearly visible in the monograph “Bahouddin Naqshband abadiyati” (The Eternity of Bahouddin Naqshband) (1994). For nearly 40 years, Izzat Sulton worked as a sector head and advisor at the Institute of Language and Literature of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, and was the Chairman of the Specialized Scientific Council. He was one of the authors and an editor of the two-volume “O‘zbek sovet adabiyoti tarixi ocherklari” (Essays on the History of Uzbek Soviet Literature) (1961-1962), the two-volume “Adabiyot nazariyasi” (Theory of Literature) (1978-1979), and the two-volume “O‘zbek sovet tanqidchiligi tarixi” (History of Uzbek Soviet Criticism) (1987).

He was “Honored Art Worker of Uzbekistan” (1964), “Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan” (1966), laureate of the Beruni State Prize (1970), awarded the “Shuhrat” medal (1992), and became a “Full Member of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan” (1995).

Izzat Sulton died on July 29, 2001.

As seen from the information provided above, it proves how multifaceted Izzat Sulton's activity as a scholar and playwright was.

Izzat Sulton had several students who continued his work, and they are still contributing to Uzbek literature today.

Sultan of Literary Science

When I arrived to work at the Institute of Language and Literature in the autumn of 1958, the magazine “O‘zbek tili va adabiyoti” had just begun to be published, and the next issue of the magazine was being prepared. On the recommendation of the Institute Director Aziz Qayumov, I gave the editorial office an article titled “Qofiya v doston ‘Zaynab i Omon’” (Rhyme in the poem “Zaynab and Omon”). The article discussed the inner preparation process of rhyme in Hamid Olimjon's work, and such an approach to the issue was somewhat of a novelty at the time. Three or four days later, I was very happy to hear that the article had been submitted to Izzat Sulton for review and that he approved of it.

But interestingly, Izzat Sulton not only recommended the article for publication but also offered to take me into postgraduate studies, expressing the desire to be my scientific supervisor himself. Since I had already finished postgraduate studies and come to the institute, I could not take advantage of this favor of Izzat aka. But from that time on, I had the honor of working in the same scientific institution as Izzat Sulton.

Until that time, I knew Izzat Sulton primarily as one of the authors of the “Alisher Navoiy” play and as the scholar who created the first “Theory of Literature” textbook in the Uzbek language. At that time, various meetings and conferences were held at the institute, where a debate would suddenly start between Faxri Kamol and Olim Usmon, turning into a shouting match, and often coming to a compromise with the intervention of Izzat Sulton.

The scholar did not spend much time at the institute; even the typewritten parts of the “Essays on the History of Uzbek Soviet Literature” that were being written at that time were taken by us, the youth, to his house in Chilanzar. When we arrived, Izzat aka was usually resting, and at the wish of Zamira opa, we would wait on the street for him to wake up. I learned at such times that the professor lived by strictly adhering to a regime of work and rest, and this habit of his was formed under the influence of Russian scholars and writers he met during the evacuation to Tashkent and later in Moscow.

By the way, in the post-war years, Izzat Sulton served as Deputy Chairman of the Radio Committee and as Director of the Film Studio. In 1948, he was appointed head of the Institute of Language and Literature. In the years he began working at the institute, decisions of the Communist Party were issued that led literature and art into a dead end. Based on these decisions, turmoil began in Uzbek literature as well, and slanders were thrown at powerful writers like Shayxzoda and at masterpieces of folk art like “Alpomish.” On one of those anxious days, one of the honest people working in the NKVD called Izzat aka and told him that an order for his arrest had been signed, so he should leave Tashkent quickly. Izzat aka went straight to the Academy President, his fellow townsman and friend Habib Abdullayev, and with his help flew to Moscow. From 1951 to 1955, he worked at Moscow State University in the same department as Muxtor Avezov, giving lectures to students on Russian literature.

It is known that Muxtor Avezov studied at the Central Asian State University in Tashkent. At that time, the first national novel in the history of Central Asian literature - “O‘tkan kunlar” (Days Gone By) - had been written, and this work had an immensely great influence on the subsequent work of the Kazakh writer. It is no wonder that the Kazakh writer, who saw the massacre and repression that occurred in his own homeland and himself fled from the whirlpool of repression to Moscow, would talk in his conversations with Izzat Sulton about exonerating Abdulla Qodiriy and publishing his works. In any case, after Izzat Sulton returned to Tashkent, he began to make efforts in this matter as much as possible.

He assigned the work of Abdulla Qodiriy as a scientific research topic to one of his students, Ahmad Aliyev. When Ahmad Aliyev's dissertation was ready, the number of people opposing it increased. The discussion of the dissertation, which took place in the institute hall, was no less intense than the “battles” of Faxri Kamol and Olim Usmon. Only this time, the dispute was not between those two linguists, but between Izzat Sulton and Komil Yoqubov. Izzat Sulton, not sparing his colleague at all, heroically defended Abdulla Qodiriy and his two great novels.

In the 80s, in connection with Izzat Sulton's play “Abdulla Qodiriyning O‘tgan kunlari”, stones were thrown at this work of the scholar and playwright. Claims were made that Izzat Sulton did not stand aside during the writer's arrest, and therefore, he had no moral right to write a work about the author of “Days Gone By.” But as someone who studied the documents related to 1937 and the writer's exoneration, I say that Izzat Sulton was absolutely not involved in the discrediting of the mentor writer. On the contrary, the main expert who spoke the significant word in his exoneration was Izzat Sulton. Izzat Sulton's preparation of the novel “Days Gone By” for publication in the 50s and his appearance in the republic's leading newspaper with the first positive article about the writer was heroism in the true sense of the word. Because at that time, no one knew where the ship of time was heading. It was not yet clear whether those who were trying to exonerate victimized writers like Abdulla Qodiriy would remain alive themselves or not.

Most of the literary scholars who formed in the 20s-30s of the last century were engaged in issues of modern literature along with classical Uzbek literature. Izzat Sulton's candidate dissertation was also devoted to the study of Navoi's work “Mezon ul-avzon” (Measure of Meters). In the process of working on this dissertation, he discovered Navoi. When the idea of writing a stage work about the great poet arose on the occasion of his 500th anniversary, Hamid Olimjon did not invite Izzat aka, along with Uyg‘un, to join him in vain. True, because the creative work on the work began while Hamid Olimjon was away, the poet did not consider it appropriate to join the already formed creative process.

Working on this work, Izzat Sulton clearly knew one truth. This truth is that an artist like the writer: everyone is mostly engaged in just studying a person or an event. Whereas, one can not only study that person or event as a researcher but also create an artistic work about them. Because a creator is also, to a certain extent, a researcher.

The scholar, who built his life on such a tenet, tried to integrate science and creativity, imagining them as two wings. Perhaps he was mistaken at that very moment. Perhaps he would have taken Uzbek literary studies to a higher peak than it is now if he had only operated as a scholar. But we know well that he taught us to respect science and required students to enter science with certain scientific “baggage.” He did not like young people who, without such “baggage” and without gaining the attention of the scientific community with any research, tried to become a doctor of science. He sincerely wished that the banner of science would always be in the hands of honest and hardworking people.

The current sixty-year-olds know well that in the 50s-60s, Moscow television showed a series of programs titled “Irakliy Andronikov tells...” Every time Izzat Sulton came to the institute, he would tell an interesting story from the lives of Eastern and Western writers, and he would tell this story in such a way that we all listened with our mouths wide open. One day, wanting larger audiences to benefit from such stories of Izzat aka, I wanted to organize evenings at the institute titled “Izzat Sulton tells...” But this intention did not materialize. Nevertheless, I asked Izzat aka to write memoirs like Russian writers, artists, and painters. I even had moments when I said: “Izzat aka, your plays like “Istehkom” and “Ko‘rmayin bosdim tikanni” will be performed once or twice and then fall off the stage. But if you write your memoirs about Qodiriy, Fitrat, Cho‘lpon, and Oybek, they will serve the people for a long time.” Izzat aka promised to do so, he even began to write. But after his death, the trace of these memoirs has not been found until now.