Usmon Qo'chqor

Usmon Qo'chqor was born on 15 July 1953 in the Shofirkon district of Bukhara region. From 1970 to 1975 he studied in the philology faculty of Tashkent State University (now the National University of Uzbekistan).

He began working in 1975 at the Gafur Gulom Literature and Art Publishing House. In 1977–1979 he taught Uzbek language and literature in the Shofirkon district, then from 1979 to 1986 worked as an editor at the Uzbekistan publishing house, and afterwards at the Cho'lpon publishing house, the magazine Yoshlik and the Ma'naviyat publishing house, where he was editor-in-chief.

His first collection of poems, “A World Buried in Excitement” (Hayajonga ko'milgan dunyo), appeared in 1982. It was followed by “Voices Without Echo” (Akssiz sadolar, 1986), “The Sleeping Minaret” (Uyqudagi minora, 1987) and “The Heavy Caravan” (Og'ir karvon, 1991). Many poems in “The Heavy Caravan” deal with the human spirit and spirituality. His book of children’s verse “Chamangul” (1996) won a prize of the Republic’s State Press Committee. He also wrote the dastans “Quvg'in” about the sufferings of the era of repression, and “Shiroq” about an ancient hero of Turan.

Qo'chqor was also known as a translator, above all of Azerbaijani literature into Uzbek. His translations include Huseyn Javid’s plays “Amir Temur” and “Sheikh Sanan”, Yusif Samedoghlu’s novel “The Day of Execution”, Anar’s “The Sixth Floor of a Five-Storey Building”, a collection of poems by Nasimi, and Yunus Oghuz’s novel “Sultan Alp Arslan” (2016). His poetic drama “Imom Buxoriy” was published after his death, in 2020, by the Adabiyot publishing house.

Usmon Qo'chqor was awarded the Shuhrat Medal and the title of Honoured Cultural Worker of Uzbekistan. He died in Tashkent on 21 September 2017.