P rominent t ajik f igures of the

Iraj Bashiri

166
("The Long Road," 1983), and "Chashmi Sitora" ("The Eye of the Star,"

1990).
Maniyozov, Abduqodir
Tajik literary critic and translator Abduqodir Maniyozov was born
on August 22, 1930, into a worker's family in Konibodom. He joined
the CPSU in 1953.
Maniyozov graduated from the Tajikistan State University with a de-
gree in history and philology in 1956. Between 1969 and 1972, he was
one of the main editors of the Ensaiklopidiai Sovetii Tojik (Soviet Tajik
Encyclopedia, 1978-1988). He also taught Tajiki language and literature
at the Rudaki Institute. In 1972, he became the Assistant Director of that
Institute. He became a Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sci-
ences of Tajikistan in 1981.
Maniyozov's research in the 1960s was centered on the early works
of Sadriddin Aini. He intended to gauge the impact of Aini's contribu-
tion on the early Soviet Tajik society. Maniyozov's literary career, how-
ever, dates to 1956, when his critical articles appeared in Tajik journals.
Maniyozov's major contribution in the field of literary criticism is a
better understanding of the milieu in which S. Aini worked. His Riso-
laho va Nazmi Ustod Aini (Essays and Poetry of Ustod Aini, 1958) is an
example of that.
Maniyozov joined the Union of Writers of Tajikistan in 1963. He re-
ceived the Red Banner of Courage, the 100
th
Anniversary of the Birth of
Lenin Prize, and the Honorary Order of the Presidium of the Supreme
Soviet of Tajikistan.
Mansurov, Ghafur
Tajik painter Ghafur Mansurov was born in 1888 into a family of
painters in the village of Chorbagh in Khujand. He received his early
education in painting from his father, Mullomansuri Naqqosh. By the
age of twelve he was already recognized as a talented painter. Many of
the mosques and houses in Konibodom, Qistakuz, Shurqurghon, Alti-
mariq, Margilan, Andijan, Osh, Tashkent, Uroteppa, and Nov are deco-
rated with his paintings. Before the Revolution, he cooperated with
Mirzorahmat Olimov, working on woodcarving and on designing col-
umns. Parts of the architecture of Dari Shikof mosque in Khujand illus-
trate their work. During the 1930s, along with his students, he worked
on the decoration of a number of teahouses. His designs, consisting of

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