His criminal case consisted of 12,192 pages - what kind of person was Osman Nasir?

**Usman Nasir: Who was the person behind the 12,192-page criminal case?**

On November 13, 1912, in the Tanhogor neighborhood of Namangan, a bright representative of Uzbek literature, poet, translator and playwright Usman Nasir was born. His father Mamatkhodja died of hunger and illness in 1916. The poet later recalled these difficult times as follows:

My father died, I became a wanderer,

They called me an orphan.

I was tormented by strange days,

They chased me out onto the streets...

Usman, who lost his father early, made a living with his mother by serving in the homes of wealthy people.

Later, Usman Nasir's mother, Holambibi, married Nasir Hoji, a merchant who spoke Russian, and in 1921 they moved to Kokand. Thus, the poet enters the rich literary environment of Kokand.

As a child, Usman, who should have been engaged in entertainment, was constantly beaten and insulted by his stepfather. The poet's friend Temur Fattah recalls an incident in his memoirs: one day, when Holambibi was not at home, the haji beat the young Usman until he was exhausted, tied his hands behind his back, and hung him by the feet in a well. Tohirjon Sobirov, who happened to be there, rescued him from the well. After that, his mother was forced to take him from the "Yangi Hayot" school and send him to "Dor-ur Shafaqa" - a boarding school for orphans. Having escaped from his oppressive father, Usman now plunged into poetry with all his heart. He became a member of the "Sanoyi Nafisa" circle led by Abdulahad Kahhorov and began to practice poetry.

In 1927, on the occasion of the rally of women reporters of the city of Kokand, the wall newspaper "Bizning kozgu" was published. Schoolchildren submitted articles, poems, and essays to it. Among them was the first poem by Usman Nasir called "The Pen of Truth". Later, at the initiative of the domla Mukhtarkhan, this poem was republished in the 8th issue of the magazine "Yangi yo'l".

The poet, who praised the reporters by writing "You write the truth, You travel the universe...", unfortunately, the people of the pen did not protect the poet.

Usman Nasir's life path was colorful. For example, in 1929, among the first graduates of the nine-year school, he went on an excursion to Moscow and Leningrad. During the trip, Usman's worldview expanded. He entered the Moscow State Institute of Cinematography and the Samarkand Pedagogical Academy, but due to health and behavioral problems, he could not graduate from both universities.

According to the memoirs of Sabir Abdulla, Usman Nasir studied Kokand classical literature with Amin Umari. Temur Fattah says that they read the four-volume works of Sergei Yesenin, published in 1926. The poet's poem "Monologue" mentions the characters of Desdemona, Othello, and Shakespeare. This shows that Usman Nasir was aware of Eastern and Western literature and summarized their essence and sum in his poems.

Turob Tola describes the poet as "a poet who breathed the breath of Navoi, Fuzuli, Babur, Furqat in his pen, who recalled the protections of Dante and Petrarch, and who spoke Pushkin and Lermontov in Uzbek." The first collection of Usman Nasir was "Conversation with the Sun", published in 1932.

The poet's creative heritage consists of five books of poetry, four dramas and three epics. The names in his works are skillfully chosen, they bind a person to them without a thread. For example, the names of the main character Atlas in the play "Atlas" or Naxshon in the epic "Nakhshon" are unique and original. Also, the poems "Heart", "Monologue", "Traveler", "Nile and Rome" prove that Usman Nasir is an innate talent.

In his article "About Usman Nasir", Otkir Rashid describes the poet as follows: "In his work from 1927 to 1932, journalism, a journalistic attitude to events, journalistic pathos and rhetoric are more prominent. Therefore, his poems sounded like slogans and appeals. This feature showed that Usman's work was responsive to the demands of the time... Although thematic relevance and diversity prevailed in the poet's work in this early period, these years were a period of search for artistic mastery and creative independence."

Usman Nasir was also a translator. In 1937, on the occasion of the centenary of the death of the Russian poet A.S. Pushkin, he translated his work "The Fountain of the Garden of Eden" into Uzbek. Nodira Rashidova said in one of her interviews: "In 1937, a plenum dedicated to Pushkin will be held in Moscow. Uzbek writers will also be invited to that plenum. When the chairman of the USSR Writers' Union Bezimensky goes up to the podium and gives a speech, he talks about Pushkin's translation of the poems of the German writer Goethe and gives examples from that translation. Then Usman Nasir, who was sitting in the back seat, gets up on condition and says, "Excuse me, Nikolai Alexandrovich, these are not Goethe's verses, but Schiller's!" Then the chairman of the union is taken aback and invites him to the stage. When my uncle introduces himself, Nikolai Alexandrovich asks him if he has read Schiller. Usman Nasir says that he has not only read it, but also memorized it, and recites Schiller's epic from memory. Bezimensky is amazed. He hugs my uncle tightly by the shoulder and looking at the hall, he said, "Let everyone see! Pushkin has appeared in the East!" After that, articles were written about Usman Nasir in Moscow newspapers.

He also translated M. Lermontov's "Demon" ("Iblis") and the tragedy "Egmont" into Uzbek. In the 30s of the 20th century, the head of the Uzbek Radio Committee, Kurban Beregin, came to the conclusion that this work should also be staged in Uzbek and entrusted the translation to Usman Nasir. However, due to the arrest of Usman Nasir in August 1937, the person who translated the tragedy "Egmont" into Uzbek is kept secret. As a result of Naim Karimov's research, secret information hidden from us by the past was revealed.

On the night of January 27, 1937, a creative evening was held at the Writers' Union of Uzbekistan on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the work of 25-year-old Usman Nasir. Oybek highly appreciated the poet's work, saying: "Usman Nasir is a great poet. It is worth celebrating his 25th anniversary. Maybe we will erect a statue to him. He is the Lermontov of the Uzbeks."

It is also our duty to the reader to tell about the joys of the poet's life. Usman Nasir had many friends and they constantly participated in parties. The poet loved to recite poetry in such places, especially in front of young girls, to whom he recited poems to the rhythm.

The harsh policy of repression of 1937 also penetrated Uzbekistan. This policy first of all affected the literary pillars Chulpan, Fitrat, and also Usman Nasir. At that time, Usman Nasir was a young and innocent man, only 25 years old, not yet married. On July 12, 1937, Usman Nasir was expelled from the Writers' Union of Uzbekistan, and on July 13, he was arrested by the NKVD. The poet's pen was sharp, enlightening, and he was always in the center of attention and recognition of his fans, which is why some envious people filed statements and statements accusing him of being a "nationalist". His criminal case consisted of 12,192 pages.

The difficulties of the period and the investigative process of the NKVD officers are well known. Those who were arrested could not return from there, and if they were not guilty, the NKVD officers would fabricate charges. The trial held on October 5, 1938, convicted Usman Nasir of being a "nationalist", "deliberately distorting the translation to lower the level of Pushkin's works", and "having murderous intentions against the Russians", and sentenced him to ten years in prison.

The poet searched for the truth from a time when he did not know what justice was. While in prison, he wrote a letter to Stalin asking him to re-examine his criminal case. Constant efforts were not in vain. On December 15, 1944, the Military Prosecutor's Office overturned the verdict in the case of Usman Nasir. Unfortunately, the acquittal system was much delayed. Usman Nasir died on March 9, 1944 from heart failure and pulmonary tuberculosis.

In order to perpetuate the poet's memory, Abubakir Rajabi was one of the first to publish the poet's two-volume "Selected Works" in 1969. Nodira Rashidova and Naim Karimov wrote books and articles about him.

In conclusion, we will quote Abdulla Oripov's opinion about the poet: "Usman Nasir is a dewdrop that has not yet flowed through the mouth of great and eternal poetry, it is a half-smile that has not yet turned into laughter and has frozen on our lips forever."

Zebo RAHMATULLA qizi,

journalist