Sarvar Azimov

Sarvar Alimdzhanovich Azimov was born on 20 May 1923 in Jizzakh into an educated family; he was the younger brother of the poet Hamid Olimjon. After a teachers' technical school in Tashkent he studied at the philology faculty of Central Asian State University, graduating in 1946. He later became a Doctor of Philology.

From 1948 to 1955 he worked at the Institute of Language and Literature of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR as a researcher, head of a sector and deputy director. He studied the work of Hamid Olimjon, and his monograph on the poet appeared in 1967. In 1955–1956 he headed the department of science and culture of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan.

In 1956–1957 Azimov was First Secretary of the board of the Writers' Union, and in 1957–1959 Minister of Culture of the Uzbek SSR. From 1959 to 1969 he held the posts of deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the republic at once. In those years he was also a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR.

From 1969 to 1974 Azimov was Soviet ambassador to Lebanon, and from 1974 to 1980 to Pakistan. Back in 1980, he again led the board of the Writers' Union of Uzbekistan, and in 1988–1991 he was once more Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Uzbek SSR. In 1990–1991 he was a member of the Presidential Council of Uzbekistan.

His literary work includes plays, novellas, stories and screenplays: the plays “Bloody Mirage” (1964) and “Drama of the Century” (1968), the novellas “Rainbow” (1964) and “Two Hearts, Two Worlds” (1967); two screenplays were written with N. Rozhkov. He co-authored literature textbooks and wrote articles on the literary process and cultural heritage; a two-volume “Selected Works” appeared in 1988.

Azimov was named Honoured Scientist of the Uzbek SSR (1973) and People's Writer of the Uzbek SSR (1983), and received the Order of the October Revolution and three Orders of the Red Banner of Labour. Sarvar Azimov died in Tashkent in 1994.