P rominent t ajik f igures of the

Safar Abdullo

See Abdullo, Safar.

Safarov, Ashur

Tajik poet Ashur Safarov, also referred to as Ashur Safar, was born

into a farming family in the village of Rubotingak of Kulab on May 1,

1930.

Safarov graduated from the Kulab Pedagogical Institute in 1953. He

first became a journalist, then a teacher in the Kulab schools. He

worked at Haqiqati Kulab, where his first poems, satirical in the main,

were published in the late 1950s. Later on, his poems were published in

a collection, entitled Gapi Podor (Words with Feet, 1987). His contri-

butions include "Ibtidoi Roh" ("The Beginning of the Road," 1964), "Il-

hom" ("Inspiration," 1970), "Khandai Gulho" ("The Laughter of the

Flowers," 1973), "Guli Mahtob" ("Moon-Beam Flower," 1983), and

"Bazmi Sidoqat" ("The Celebration of Truth," 1984). A collection of his

poems, entitled Samarai Umr (The Fruit of Life ), was published in Rus-

sian in Moscow in 1984.

Safarov joined the Union of Writers of the Soviet Union in 1967.

Safarov, Ghoib

Tajik poet Ghoib Safarov, also referred to as Safarzoda, was born in

the village of Kaduchi in the district of Vose' in Kulab province Febru-

ary 20, 1940.

Safarov graduated from the Dushanbe Pedagogical Institute with a

degree in Persian language and literature in 1962. Thereafter, until the

end of his life, he worked for Tojikistoni Soveti (later on called

Jumhuriyyat). His contributions include several telling accounts of the

need for a revival of ancient national traditions, especially the Tajiki

language. One such article was "Tarovati Zindagi dar Zeboi Ast" ("The

Freshness of Life Lies in Beauty"). It appeared in Tojikistoni Soveti in

1968. As a result of the publication of this article, the Soviet regime put

a great deal of pressure on Safarov to change his stance, but he refused

to comply.

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