Sunnatilla Anorbоyev

In the history of literature, there are writers who begin their creative journey with works dedicated to children and then transition to literature for adults. Or, conversely, they sharpen their pens on adult literature before returning to the innocent world of childhood. Sunnatilla Anorboev was able to vividly depict the world of children—which is extremely colorful and complex—with his skill and deep life experience in observing, feeling, and portraying it through their eyes.

Biography

As a writer, Sunnatilla Anorboev did not follow these paths. He understood literature as a holistic artistic phenomenon and fully adhered to this in his creative work. Alongside his novels for adults, such as "Oqsoy" and "Sayli," his novella dedicated to children, "To‘rtko‘zning boshidan kechirganlari" ("What To‘rtko‘z Experienced"), were published in succession.

Born on September 9, 1922, in the ancient village of Qarnoq in Turkestan, the future writer attended the Tashkent State Pedagogical Institute named after Nizami after returning from the Second World War. Later, he worked in editorial offices.

Works dedicated to the lives of herdsmen and hunters hold a leading place in his oeuvre. A writer "loyal" to his themes, he created new images in every work without repeating himself, raising pressing issues related to the preservation of nature. His works, including "Oqsoy," "To‘rtko‘zning boshidan kechirganlari," "Sulaymon ovchi va uning iti haqida" ("About Sulaymon the Hunter and His Dog"), and "Musicha bilan qaldirg‘och qissasi" ("The Tale of the Dove and the Swallow"), as well as his latest work, "Suzib borar arxarlar" ("The Swimming Argali"), all depict the lives of shepherds and hunters.

The writer's novella "To‘rtko‘zning boshidan kechirganlari" has been published several times. The work is also well known to young readers. The success of the novella is linked to the writer's earnest research, never shying away from the hardships of creation.

In this work, through "To‘rtko‘zning sarguzashtlari" ("The Adventures of To‘rtko‘z"), S. Anorboev introduces the reader to the animal world on one hand, and promotes high human qualities such as integrity, bravery, and sincerity on the other.

According to the writer's narrative style, in the novella "To‘rtko‘zning boshidan kechirganlari," intended for young readers, the characters To‘rtko‘z, Olapar, and Ko‘ppak understand human language.

The main protagonist of the work, To‘rtko‘z, is a symbol of loyalty, contrasted in the story against a small, mean dog that cannot distinguish between good and evil. While the reader feels contempt for Ko‘ppak due to his greed, craftiness, and fawning nature, To‘rtko‘z attracts attention with his devotion and loyalty to humans. His sincere help to his mother, Olapar, in guarding the flock from wolves, and his honesty and purity compared to others, are deeply moving.

Another quality characteristic of To‘rtko‘z is his lack of boastfulness. When Qoravoy's friends praise him as the best wolfhound, To‘rtko‘z acknowledges it simply as his duty. This is very important in promoting humility.

In the novella, the characters of To‘rtko‘z and Olapar are successfully used to express high life ideals such as dedication to the homeland, loyalty, and the struggle for the common good at a level understandable to children.

In the writer's new novella, "Suzib borar arxarlar," the idea of nature conservation is put forward through the depiction of the conflict between Professor Aziz Nurievich and Qo‘chqor, and To‘rabek and the Rabbimovs.

Conserving nature has always been one of the fundamental issues facing humanity. Raising this problem in a way that matches children's level of knowledge and life experience requires the writer not only to have artistic skill but also a thorough knowledge of child psychology. Reading the novella, it is not difficult to feel that the writer wielded his pen with a deep sense of this responsibility.

The plot of the work is simple and suitable for children. To‘rabek, who has recently started working as a veterinarian, shoots an argali from the mountains in honor of his mentor who is visiting. The professor takes the seeds of the dead argali to artificially inseminate several sheep. Qo‘chqor also gets involved in this valuable experiment. The born hybrids begin to grow. Finally, they run away to the mountains. Qo‘chqor meets his demise trying to protect them from the bullets of To‘rabek and the inspector Rabbimov—those who "hold weapons in their hands." It is not very important here whether Qo‘chqor is shot or not. The main issue lies in the struggle of the professor and Qo‘chqor against enemies of nature like To‘rabek and Rabbimov, or more accurately, the awakening of feelings of love for nature and the struggle to protect it in Qo‘chqor's heart.

Qo‘chqor was born into a family of shepherds. Therefore, his affection for sheep and lambs is special. But since he is a child, he does not initially understand that the entire animal world, trees, and mountains are gifts of nature and that it is necessary to fight to protect them. The admonition from Professor Aziz Nurievich to his uncle for shooting the argali becomes a lesson for Qo‘chqor in this regard. "Previously, on this mountain," says the professor, "argali and mountain goats grazed in herds... Where are those herds now? They were wiped out! Smart predators who held weapons in their hands and set traps on the paths killed these creatures. Without thinking whether it was necessary or not, they killed them out of arrogance. Human beings destroyed their own future sustenance with this. Instead of adding head to head, you—a specialist with a red diploma who has drunk up zootechnical science like water," he looked sarcastically at To‘rabek, "perhaps you have finished off the last argali on this mountain?"

Through these words of the professor, the writer also expresses the idea of the work. Psychologists point out that the desire of children to view life through the eyes of adults and even to be treated as seriously as adults themselves is one of the character traits typical of this age. In creating the character of Qo‘chqor, the writer has made very appropriate use of this "trait" of children.

For example, Qo‘chqor's sincere sadness when his uncle says "you don't understand genetics" inspires our trust in him. By providing the literal meaning of genetics through the professor's words, the writer kills two birds with one stone. On one hand, he answers Qo‘chqor's question, drawing him deeper into the events of the plot. On the other, he introduces the young reader to the complex experiment that was conducted.

In some cases, it happens that characters in books dedicated to children think like adults despite being young. As a result, they do not leave a holistic impression on the reader as characters. "Suzib borar arxarlar" is free from such a defect. The reason is that the writer did not overlook the age characteristics of children in the description. Consequently, a childlike sincerity is reflected in every word Qo‘chqor speaks and in his attitude toward others. The reader views the events of the work through Qo‘chqor's eyes, but does not remain limited to his elementary understanding and simple perception of good and evil.

Although the world of children seems simple at first glance, it is extremely colorful and complex. To observe, feel, and depict life through their eyes requires not only the writer's artistic skill, deep life experience, and heartfelt passion, but also the ability to create from the level of a child.

In our opinion, Sunnatilla Anorboev is considered one of those writers who found the right path to the hearts of little ones not only with these novellas about life and nature, but also with many stories such as "Bahs" ("The Dispute") and "Qo‘rqoq" ("The Coward"), which have found their place in the "Reading Book" textbooks of primary grades.

In recognition of his services to literature, he was awarded the honorable title of "Honored Cultural Worker of the Republic of Uzbekistan." In 1999, along with a number of his colleagues, he was awarded the "El-yurt hurmati" ("Respect of the Nation") order.

He passed away on April 1, 2003, at the age of 81.