P rominent t ajik f igures of the

Sharifov, Khudoi

Tajik literary critic Khudoi Sharifov was born into a farming family

in the village of Chorf of Qala'-i Khum, Badakhshan, on June 25, 1937.

Sharifov graduated from the Faculty of Philology of Tajikistan State

University in 1961. He worked at the same faculty, and became an As-

sistant Professor in 1973. Thereafter, he has served in various adminis-

trative positions, including department head and dean. He received his

doctorate degree in philology in 1988. In 1994, he was appointed Di-

rector of the Department of the History of Tajik Literature.

Sharifov's research deals with the problems of classical Tajik litera-

ture, including the formation of theoretical and literary thought during

the 10

th

 and 11

th

 centuries. He is also interested in the theory of poetry,

style, and the genesis of Tajik prose. He has made contributions to the

field of Avicenna Studies. His contributions in this regard include Abu

Ali Sina: Avji Zuhal (Avicenna: the Zenith of Saturn, Dushanbe, 1980),

and  Maqomi Ibn Sina dar Ta'rikhi Shi'r u Adabi Tojik (Avicenna's Po-

sition in Tajik Poetry and Culture, Dushanbe, 1985).

Sharifov also dealt with the prose and drama of more contemporary

literary figures, like Sadriddin Aini, Satim Ulughzoda, Mu'min

Qano'atov, and others. His other contributions include Sho'ir va Shi'r

(Poet and Poetry, Dushanbe, 1998); Sho'ironi Ahdi Somonion (Poets of

the Samanid Era, Dushanbe, 1999); Ozurdagon va Umidvoron (The

Vexed and the Hopeful, Dushanbe, 2001); and Baloqat va Sukhanvari

(Eloquence and Oratory, Dushanbe, 2002).

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Iraj Bashiri

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

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Sharifov joined the Union of Writers of the Soviet Union in 1979.

He was recognized as a Distinguished Contributor to Science and Tech-

nology in Tajikistan in 1989.