Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi

Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi
Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi
Native name	Hamza Hakimzoda Niyoziy
Born	(1889-03-06)March 6, 1889 Kokand, Russian Turkestan
Died	March 18, 1929(1929-03-18) (aged 40) Shohimardon, Uzbek SSR, USSR
Occupation	author, composer, playwright, poet, scholar, and political activist
Notable awards	National Writer of the Uzbek SSR (1929)

Hamza Hakimzade Niyazi (Uzbek: Hamza Hakimzoda Niyoziy, Ҳамза Ҳакимзода Ниёзий; Russian: Хамза Хакимзаде Ниязи) (March 6  [O.S. February 22] 1889, Kokand – March 18, 1929, Shohimardon) was an Uzbek author, composer, playwright, poet, scholar, and political activist. Niyazi, along with Gʻafur Gʻulom, is widely seen as one of the leading figures in the early development of modern Uzbek literary tradition. He is generally considered the first Uzbek playwright, the founder of modern Uzbek musical forms, as well as the founder of Uzbek social realism.

Niyazi also participated in the controversial Uzbek language reforms of the 1920s which were meant to codify a literary Uzbek language in place of the older, fading Chagatai. In addition to Uzbek, Niyazi knew many other languages, including Arabic, Persian, Russian, and Turkish. His works generally dealt wish social issues, such as women's rights, social inequality, and the prevalence of superstition. Niyazi was tragically stoned to death in the town of Shohimardon by Islamic fundamentalists for his anti-religious activities.

Niyazi became a National Writer of the Uzbek SSR in 1926. To honor his memory, in 1967 the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan established the State Hamza Prize to recognize outstanding achievement in literature, arts, and architecture. Many institutions in Uzbekistan, including a station of Tashkent Metro, three theaters, as well as several schools and streets are named after him.