Abdulla Qodiriy was born in Tashkent in 1894. He studied in both traditional and Russian-native schools and worked as a clerk before turning fully to writing. He took a form that did not exist in Uzbek and made it work on the first attempt: O'tgan kunlar (Bygone Days), serialised from 1922, was the first full-length Uzbek novel, and Mehrobdan chayon followed. He also wrote a great deal of satire, much of it aimed at officials of exactly the kind the new state was producing. He was arrested in late 1937 and executed on 4 October 1938.
Key achievements
Wrote O'tkan kunlar (1925–26), the first Uzbek novel
Wrote Mehrobdan chayon, a second major historical novel
Executed in 1938 and formally rehabilitated after independence
