Ulugbek Hamdam
Uzbek writer, literary scholar and translator, author of the novels “Equilibrium” and “Rebellion and Obedience”, former editor-in-chief of the journal “Sharq yulduzi”.
- Occupation:
- Writer, Scientist, Prose writer
- Born:
- April 24 1968(58 years old) ♉
- Birthplace:
- Marhamat District, Andijan
Biography
Ulugbek Hamdam (full name Ulugbek Abduvahobovich Hamdamov) was born on 24 April 1968 in the Yuqori Rovot neighbourhood of the Marhamat district of Andijan region. He finished school in 1985, served in the army in 1986–1988, entered the philology faculty of Tashkent State University in 1988 and graduated in 1993.
In 1992, under the state study-placement scheme, he was sent to continue his studies in Konya, Turkey. He taught at the Institute of Oriental Studies in 1993–1994 and did postgraduate work at the Uzbek philology faculty of the National University of Uzbekistan in 1994–1996. In 1997 he defended a candidate’s dissertation on the “pure lyric” in Uzbek poetry of the 1930s.
From 1997 to 2009 he worked as a junior and then senior researcher at the Alisher Navoi Institute of Language and Literature of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan; since 2003 he has been a member of the Writers’ Union of Uzbekistan. In 2009–2015 he was editor-in-chief of the literary journal “Sharq yulduzi” (“Star of the East”).
He entered literature with the collection of novellas and stories “Loneliness” (1998); the novels “Equilibrium”, “Rebellion and Obedience” (2004) and “Sabo and Samandar”, the poetry collections “The Rebellion That Leads to God”, “The Rose” and “I Waited for You”, and the books “Distant Dilnura” (2010) and “Father” (2019) followed. As a literary scholar he wrote “The Evolution of Artistic Thinking” and “The Need for Renewal”. “Loneliness” was published in Tatar in Kazan in 2018.
He translates into Uzbek from Turkic languages, notably Turkish: he rendered Rumi’s “Fihi Ma Fihi” (“Ichindagi ichindadir”, 1997 and 2001) and Usmon Turon’s book on the ideology of the Turkic peoples (1995).
From 2016 he headed the world literature department at the Alisher Navoi Tashkent State University of the Uzbek Language and Literature, and since 2021 he has been head of the department of 20th-century Uzbek literature and the contemporary literary process at the Institute of Language and Literature. He received the Shuhrat Medal in 2004.
Education
- National University of UzbekistanUniversity · Tashkent · 1988–1993 · Philology (Faculty of Uzbek Philology)
Career
- Writers' Union of UzbekistanMember · Tashkent · 2003–present
- Institute of Language and LiteratureResearcher · Tashkent · 1997–2009
Awards
Medal «Shuhrat» (Glory)2004 · Uzbekistan
Life path
- 1988–1993Studies at Tashkent State University
Graduated from the philology faculty; studied in Konya, Turkey, in 1992.
- 1993–1994Teaching at the Institute of Oriental Studies
Taught at the institute after graduating.
- 1994–1996Postgraduate studies
Studied at the Uzbek philology faculty of the National University of Uzbekistan.
- 1997Candidate’s dissertation
Defended a thesis on the problems of the “pure lyric” in Uzbek poetry of the 1930s.
- 1997–2009Researcher at the Institute of Language and Literature
Worked as junior and senior researcher at the Navoi Institute of the Academy of Sciences.
- 1998The book “Loneliness”
The collection of novellas and stories was his first prose book.
- 2003Member of the Writers’ Union
Joined the Writers’ Union of Uzbekistan.
- 2004The novel “Rebellion and Obedience” and the Shuhrat Medal
The novel was published; the same year he received the Shuhrat Medal.
- 2009–2015Editor-in-chief of “Sharq yulduzi”
Led the republic’s literary journal.
- 2016–2021World literature department
Headed the department at the Tashkent State University of the Uzbek Language and Literature, later an associate professor.
- 2021Head of a department at the Institute of Language and Literature
Heads the department of 20th-century Uzbek literature and the contemporary literary process.
Books
- Usmon Turon, “The Ideology of the Turkic Peoples” (translation)1995 · Translation
Translated from Turkish into Uzbek; later issued as a separate book.
- Rumi, “Fihi Ma Fihi” (translation)1997 · Translation
Uzbek translation of Rumi’s collected talks, reissued in 2001.
- “Loneliness”1998 · Novellas and stories
His first prose book; published in Tatar in Kazan in 2018.
- “Equilibrium”· Novel
A novel about characters seeking balance in a changing world.
- “The Rebellion That Leads to God”· Poetry collection
His first poetry collection.
- “Rebellion and Obedience”2004 · Novel
Discussed as an innovative novel for contemporary Uzbek prose.
- “The Rose”· Poetry collection
One of his poetry collections.
- “The Need for Renewal”2007 · Collection of critical essays
Deals with problems of Uzbek literature of the 20th and early 21st century.
- “Distant Dilnura”2010 · Novella, stories and poems
A collection of prose and poetry.
- “Sabo and Samandar”2011 · Novel
His third novel after “Equilibrium” and “Rebellion and Obedience”.
- “Father”2019 · Novel
A major prose work of recent years.
- “World Literature: Modernism and Postmodernism”2020 · Scholarly book
A scholarly work on trends in world literature.