P rominent t ajik f igures of the

Atoboev, Abdusalom
Tajik intellectual and playwright Abdusalom Atoboev, also referred
to as Atozoda, was born into a farming family in the village of Qal'achai
Mazor in the Isfara province of northern Tajikistan on April 20, 1934.
He joined the CPSU in 1965.
Atoboev graduated from the Dushanbe Pedagogical Institute with a
degree in philology in 1958. Thereafter, he worked at Tojikistoni
Shavravi, Zanoni Tojikiston, Sadoi Sharq, and Mash'al, as well as at the
Ministry of Education.
Atoboev's early stories were published in the 1960s. Recognized as
one of Tajikistan's prominent playwrights, Atoboev wrote plays dealing
with Tajik history and society, as well as with the moral problems of the
contemporary world. In his 1971 play, entitled Surudi Notamom
(Unfinished Anthem), he depicts the life and work of the well-known
Iranian poet Robi'a Balkhi. Similarly, his 1973 play, Foji'ai Inson (The
Calamity of Man), depicts the history of the peoples of the west.
Atoboev's other works include Qiomi Lohuti (The Lahuti Uprising,
1979), Bo Imzoi Lenin (Signed by Lenin, 1981), Parvozi Uqob (The

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Iraj Bashiri

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Flight of the Eagle, 1975), Shamshiri Mirosi (The Inherited Sword,

1984), and others.
Atoboev joined the Union of Writers of the Soviet Union in 1974.
He died in Dushanbe on April 28, 1986.
Atoulloeva, Zulfiya
Tajik poet Zulfiya Atoulloeva, also referred to as Zulfiya Atoy, was
born into a scholarly family in the village of Qala'-i Azim of Ghonchi
on June 15, 1954. She joined the CPSU in 1982.
Atoulloeva graduated from the Gorkii Institute of Literature in
Moscow in 1977, and until 1983, was on the staff of Tojikistoni Soveti.
From 1983 to 1985, she worked for Zanoni Tojikiston. In 1985, she
became the Acting Editor of Gozetai Muallimon. Since 1985, she has
worked at various positions in the printed media including holding the
chief editorship of two journals: Firuza and Guftugu.
Atoulloeva's early poems were published in Bairaqi Oktiobr in 1967.
Thereafter, her poems were published in the other journals in the
Republic, as well as in the collection entitled Shukufahoi Umidbakhsh
(Hope-Inspiring Blossoms) in 1973. Atoulloeva's other contributions
include "Jihoz" ("Dowry," 1977), "Didor" ("Visit," 1982), "Zochai
Khushrui Man" ("My Beautiful Doll," 1984), "Dukhtari Daryo" ("The
Daughter of the Sea," 1986), "'Ishqi Yak Zan" ("A Woman's Love,"
1992), and "Sitorai Mushtari" ("Jupiter," 1998).
Atoulloeva is a lyricist. Her poems are about patriotism, mother-
hood, childhood, pure love, and happiness. Although mostly traditional,
her compositions are not devoid of forays into the domain of new
poetry.
Atoulloeva joined the Union of the Writers of the Soviet Union in
1979. She is recognized as a Distinguished Tajik Journalist, and a
Distinguished Contributor to Tajik Education, as well as a winner of the
Tajikistan Youth Prize.
Atoulloeva has traveled to the Netherlands, Germany, Iran, Pakistan,
and the United States.
Atozoda
See Atoboev, Abdusalom.

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