Biography
Abdulla Fonus was born in Tashkent in 1828 and lived there all his life. Little is recorded about him; what survives goes back chiefly to the National Encyclopedia of Uzbekistan and articles built on it.
His nickname, Fonus, means “lantern” in Uzbek. One source says he earned his living by making and selling lanterns, another that he worked as a lamplighter; either way the name came from his trade and was given to him by the people of Tashkent.
He became known as a folk comic, a performer of the qiziqchi tradition, who imitated people of different ages as well as birds and animals. In his routines he showed the hard life of ordinary working people with humour and mocked injustice, human failings and superstition.
In time his fame spread beyond Tashkent, and the public regarded him as a folk comic of their own. Abdulla Fonus died in Tashkent in 1914. The exact day and month of both dates are unknown, so the years of birth and death are given to the year only.
Life path
- 1828Born in Tashkent
There is no reliable information about his origins or family.
- 19th centuryThe nickname “Fonus”
The people of Tashkent gave him the name because of his trade.
- 19th centuryPerformances as a folk comic
Imitating people, birds and animals, he mocked injustice and superstition.
- 1914Died in Tashkent
By then his fame had spread beyond the city.