Background
Zulfiya was born in Mahallah Dergez, near Tashkent to a family of craftsmen. Her mother used to sing her popular songs and tales.
Zulfiya was born in Mahallah Dergez, near Tashkent to a family of craftsmen. Her mother used to sing her popular songs and tales.
Her name Zulfiya originates from the Persian word زلف zulf meaning "a curl of hair" and "(in a mystic sense) the divine mysteries forming the delight of the devotee". Her parents were very interested in culture and literature. Her first poem was published 17 July 1931 in the Uzbek newspaper Ishchi (The Worker).
Her first collection of poetry (Hayot varaqlari, "Pages of Life") was published in 1932.
In the following decades she wrote patriotic works as well as propaganda, pacifist works, and works on nature and women"s topics. She repeatedly was a leader or chief editor for various media.
In 1953 she joined the Communist Party and also became the editor of Saodat magazine. In 1956, she was part of a delegation of Soviet writers led by Konstantin Simonov to the Asian Writers" Conference in Delhi.
In 1957 she participated in the Asian-African Solidarity Conference in Cairo.
Zulfiya died at 81 years, on 23 August 1996 in Tashkent. In 1999, the Uzbek National Award for Women was created and named after her. On March 1st, 2008, a statue in her memory was uncovered in Tashkent.
Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics Union of Writers]
From 1938 on, Zulfiya worked for various publishers and was a member of several national and interrepublican organizations.