P rominent t ajik f igures of the

Abdullo, Ghani

Tajik poet and playwright Ghani Abdullo, Rashid Abdullo's brother,

was born on March 11, 1912, to a family of laborers in Samarqand.

Abdullo received his early education in the traditional schools of

Samarqand. He joined the CPSU in 1963.

Abdullo graduated from the Samarqand Pedagogical Institute in

1932. Soon after graduation, Abdullo joined the Education Commis-

sariat of the Republic of Tajikistan, working in the public education

sector in Dushanbe. Still later, he became the Secretary of the Union of

Writers of Tajikistan, then the leader of the Literature Division of the

Lahuti Theater. Like his brother, Rashid, he was imprisoned by Stalin's

regime, but unlike his brother, he survived the torture.

Ghani Abdullo's literary career began in the early 1930s as a lyrical

poet. His early works, in Uzbeki, include Satrhoi Sokhtmon (The Levels

of the Building, 1932) and Bo Nomi Vedding (Vedding by Name, 1933);

both works were published in Tashkent. Abdullo's Tajik poetry appears

under the title of Sado (Sound, 1935); he also published a story entitled

"Du Sohil" ("Two Shores," 1935), as well as several works on literary

criticism, including one dealing with the works of Jalol Ikromi (1933).

Ghani Abdullo's later career is that of a playwright who wrote about

contemporary issues and the history of the Tajiks, especially the

struggles of the Soviets in World War II. His contributions include

Vodii Bakht (The Realm of Luck, 1934), Rustam va Suhrob (Rustam and

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