P rominent t ajik f igures of the

Prominent Tajik Figures of the Twentieth Century

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

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Odinaev, Jum'aboi

Tajik author Jum'aboi Odinaev, also referred to as Jum'a Odina, was

born into a family of herders in the village of Nignot in Panjakent on

March 13, 1930. He joined the CPSU in 1964.

Odinaev graduated from the Samarqand State Pedagogical Institute

in 1950, and from the Translations Department of the Tajikistan State

University's History and Literature Department in 1956. Before 1960,

when he began his writing career, he worked in various positions in the

Irfon Publications, Tojikiston Weekly, Sadoi Sharq, and other

institutions.

The themes of Odinaev's works were centered on contemporary

ethical and social issues. His first work, entitled Chanbari Otash (Circle

of Fire), was published in 1973. Because he tackled difficult socio-

political issues critically, the authorities heavily censored his work. His

contributions include Avroqi Rangin (Colorful Pages, 1964); Insho dar

Mavzu'i Ozod (Composition on a Free Subject, 1968); Guzashti Ayyom

(The Passage of Time, 1978); and Zahmati Sarbozi (The Hassle of

Military Service, 1980).

He joined the Union of Writers of the Soviet Union in 1966.

Odinaev died in Dushanbe on September 10, 1982.