Editor’s Note: Normally in the translation section the original piece is also presented alongside the translated one. Owing to the nature and volume of this translation, the original is not presented here. Interested reader can read the original from this link.
When the famous writer and playwright H. grew old, he decided to take on a surprising task. He had devoted his whole life to literature, and he was indeed a truly talented creator. If people today — especially his own countrymen — had not become distant from literature, his books would certainly have been passed eagerly from hand to hand. Unfortunately…
From the 1990s to the 2000s — after the "former union" collapsed — many writers and poets could not transition their creativity into the new era of independence. Perhaps the "ideology" of that time was to blame. Yet H. always proudly said, "All my works passed through that change of eras without any loss." During those years his books really did sell quickly, and his plays were highly sought after among theatres.
But during the first ten years of the 21st century, the number of readers and enthusiasts slowly but steadily decreased. Television and radio channels still invited him often, and about half of his former reputation remained. He still had loyal students around him who read his works, were deeply moved by them, and were proud of their mentor.
When his works were in high demand, he improved his home and even bought a more expensive car. But for some reason, he would think, "Perhaps I'm working too slowly," and he tirelessly kept working on himself, creating new works to present to his people. But the results were not what he had hoped for…
By 2010 to 2020, neither he nor other writers and poets had loyal admirers the way they used to. Many great authors and poets passed away. Even whilst alive — and even after their deaths — readers did not appreciate them. They were remembered only in passing…
Today, very few literature enthusiasts remain. It is as if poets and writers have become entirely unnecessary to society. This was the consequence of a sharp negative shift in the worldview of the nation and of humanity as a whole. In the past, writers and poets were honoured and respected by the people. Many young people dreamed of becoming writers or poets. But today, the desire to enter this profession has almost entirely vanished.
H. became disheartened as well. No one paid attention to him. The Writers' Union would remember him occasionally, but the people — the lovers of literature — seemed to have disappeared. It felt as though not only he, but even those greater than him, had lost all value.
He could not sit with folded hands. The question of "What should I do?" gave him no rest.
He would analyse the situation in his own way: young people — and society in general — had fallen into materialism and could not escape, entering a dead end; their worldview had gone astray. He prepared suggestions for each field and tirelessly presented them to the relevant organisations, but no one gave him any response — not even a whisper…
***
Thus, his days passed in restless thought. For years he waited, hoping that at least a filmmaker or a theatre artist would someday commission something from him — but no one remembered him. Even when his books were printed, they did not sell, were not read, and all of this began to affect his health seriously.
Thinking that people still watched a few television serials, he decided at least to try writing in that direction. He wrote and completed a script for a serial, and there was no door he had not knocked on. No one accepted it. The producers of television serials, under the pretence of wanting "high ratings", no longer approached anything except vulgarity and immorality. No one needed his ideologically rich and artistically mature work.
Directors who had studied the true art of words thought H. was a man of the old times. Behind his back they would gossip, "Now that he's old and goes to the mosque five times a day, can't he admit his time has passed?"
One day, someone knocked on his door. H. was home alone; his family had gone to visit relatives. With the hopeful thought, "Perhaps someone has finally come looking for me; this time they must have come for me," he opened the door.
It was his old translator friend E., who, in his time, had translated hundreds of the world's famous works from English into Uzbek, and many Uzbek writers' works into English. H.'s joy knew no bounds. Embracing his friend warmly, he greeted him with a bright face and invited him inside.
– "Well, it seems I get to see you after all, my friend! Are you well, is everything all right?" H. said, excited like a child who had found a golden coin.
– "Thank you, brother. And how are you yourself?"
– "Thank God, I'm here… wondering whether anyone remembers me at all — whether I still exist in anyone's mind. I was beginning to think that perhaps people would only come to my funeral. And now you've come. My heart feels lifted to the sky!"
– "Think positively, brother. If someone like you loses hope, what will happen to the rest of us? You are still needed by our people. You are a creator whose work is of benefit to society," E. said, trying to encourage him, though with a sorrowful tone.
– "Now that you've come and said these things, my spirits have lifted. Sometimes I would think: am I a useless object that no one needs any more?" H.'s eyes filled with tears.
– "Don't think that way. Never give up. The people will return to literature someday, no matter what. Whether their worldview comes from the West or the East, they will eventually have no choice but to face literature."
– "That's exactly what troubles me! Literature is one of the most powerful means of giving a human being joy and inspiration. How difficult can it be to understand that?"
– "There are many reasons why things have come to this state. First of all, the economic situation, and besides that, the events happening around the world are forcing people to shrink mentally and emotionally. In particular, the terror that developed Western states direct at humanity and Muslims is condemning everyone else to poverty."
– "Yes, this is a weighty subject. Looking at those developed Western countries, many of our Uzbek brothers have begun drawing the wrong conclusions. According to their shallow thinking, our lack of development is supposedly the fault of religion…"
– "This has absolutely nothing to do with religion. Poverty may cause some individuals to go astray, but as a whole nation we still have many good people. (The bad ones are very few, but sometimes even that few appear to represent the entire nation.) Do you not see how Russians blame the entire Tajik people because of four Tajik boys…?"
– "What can I say… In short, Islam brings us only benefit — nothing else. It has never harmed us. Blaming an entire religion or nation because of a handful of misguided, ignorant, radicalised, uneducated people who use religion as a mask is completely wrong. It is a grave mistake."
– "If we look at history, past khans and sultans (especially after the 16th century) crushed the people with tyranny and oppression. Through endless wars, they kept the people uneducated. They did not allow scholars to flourish, and those who did were often wiped out or exiled. Some sources even suggest that illiteracy reached 70–80%. There were even centuries in which the exact sciences were not taught in schools… The education system was disorganised and had no clear curriculum.
– Given such heavy oppression, plundering, and burdensome taxes, it is clear from our historical experience that the nation of that era had lost everything. People became spiritually and morally broken… Such people lost their sense of discernment — their prayers were incomplete; they used the same pool for drinking water and for ablution, and they even discarded waste into that same pool. Wastewater from teahouses was also poured into it. Not one person stopped to think that what they were doing was wrong. Knowledge and rational thought had become almost non-existent."
– "I read in one source that the khans invented thirty-two types of taxes to oppress the people. They even devised a levy called 'peace money'. Air was the only thing left that was not taxed… The people were deliberately impoverished. Hunger and the struggle for survival can give rise to neither science nor national advancement."
– "Just imagine: the regimes of the khans, the Soviet regime, and now Putin's regime — none have allowed the peoples of Central Asia to stand tall. Nonsensical ideas about religion have grown for the same reason. First, people were made ignorant; then they were made 'godless'. Their descendants became confused, unable to unite, unable to agree, easily swayed in any direction, fragile and fearful. Now think logically — what does religion have to do with us ending up in this situation?"
– "Islam is a peaceful religion, a pure faith that also serves development. Today, there are malign forces that will not allow peace even in the countries that follow this religion. Those are the ones spreading the flames of war across the world. Without understanding this, blaming Islam is sheer ignorance, in my view…"
– "There is not a single Muslim country that they have not interfered with. Even the few developed Muslim countries managed to stay afloat only because they once had broader opportunities. Now, none of them has a way out. They even secretly orchestrate devastating wars and reduce entire nations to ruins."
– "They finance terrorist organisations themselves, create them, allocate special funds for them, and on top of that, they have succeeded in shaping the perception that Muslims are terrorists."
– "I must say… some of our own short-sighted people say things like, 'If we abandon Islam, we will develop,' falling into such foolish fantasies. Suppose you abandon religion completely — then what? I shall say it plainly: we will fall so low that we shall not even find ourselves in the condition we are in now. For the sake of wealth and to degrade us, they will stop at nothing. Leaving religion will not save us from their grip… If we think more broadly and take our children's upbringing, education, and faith seriously, Allah Himself will show us the way…"
– "The most important thing is that the nation becomes united, speaks with one voice, strengthens its will, does not fear them, advances in science and knowledge, remains steadfast in its faith, avoids gossiping about one another, stirring conflict, deceiving, fighting, and purges itself of all manner of vices: alcohol, immorality, adultery, forbidden earnings, bribery, theft, lying, slander, intrigue, and others. Only if we consciously and collectively work on improving our morals, helping and supporting one another, can we step onto the path of progress."
– "Exactly. Our thoughts are as one."
– "Ah… we got carried away talking about the world's problems, and I forgot to ask why you came," H. said, feeling a little embarrassed for having made his friend talk at such length.
– "Well… actually, my daughter-in-law has developed a rather large stone in her gallbladder. If we do not remove it soon, it will cause her real pain. I came to ask for a small loan. I do earn a little from translation work, but often it is barely enough to keep the pot boiling," E. said, slightly embarrassed.
– "May Allah grant her a full recovery. You are right to seek treatment promptly," H. said. Then, with lightning speed, thinking that he could give the money and also seize the opportunity to have his works translated into English and published — since Uzbek youth were beginning to imitate the West more and more — he began to feel that he too should enter this world through the West. He turned to his friend:
– "Do not be embarrassed, my friend. How much do you need?"
– "About five million Uzbek soums should be enough, I think."
– "Very well, I will give it — no problem. I had already been planning to have my works translated into English and Russian and to publish them. I was slowly saving money for that purpose. Once I had collected enough, I planned to come to you first," H. said, moving directly to the point.
– H. went to another room to fetch the money. E. was pleased, thinking that rather than a mere loan, he could translate the works and earn a proper fee.
– They chatted a little longer. Then E. asked leave to go, and they said their farewells.
– As H. watched his friend depart, he felt there was no turning back now. He firmly resolved to translate his works into foreign languages and bring them to the world. His confidence in himself had grown manifold…
– To be honest, his works were in no way inferior to those of writers anywhere in the world.
***
Thus, H. began to act with full determination to carry out the plan he had formed. First, he started by selecting the most suitable works — those that met international standards. Thinking that foreign readers, just like his own, would not have the patience to read very long works, he chose his short stories and compiled them into one book as an electronic draft. He carefully edited them again without any slackening of effort. After about ten days, the works were ready to be sent for translation.
He coordinated with E. and presented the book to the translator. E., who had also been eager to work, completed an excellent translation within a fortnight. They then gave it to an acquaintance who worked as an English-language editor at a news agency, and had it edited as well.
When E. handed the translation to H., H. had also prepared one of his novels for translation during that time and had given it to another friend for the same purpose.
E. was extremely pleased. H. too was in a very satisfied and optimistic mood, moving forward with confidence. He felt deeply within himself that taking even one step towards his intended goal was already a great achievement…
***
Having prepared two of his books for publication in English, he paid the requested fee and arranged for the cover design to be created through the daughter of an acquaintance who was studying in France. However, they could not reach an agreement regarding printing — the price they asked was extremely high.
He also sent the books to some compatriots who were connected to American publishers, but no agreement was reached with them either.
They contacted literary organisations in Europe via the internet, but received no reply. Nothing came from publishing houses either.
In the end, he decided to publish the books in his own country first and then begin sending them abroad. He chose one of the finest publishing houses and submitted the books for publication. He even had to sell his car. He paid all the remaining money to the publishing house, setting aside only eight thousand dollars for sending the books to Western countries, advertising costs, and, if necessary, travelling to attend presentations.
***
The books were finally ready. "Where are you, America and Europe?" he said to himself, and began to take action. He sent appeals to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, embassies, and consulates, requesting assistance.
They found the e-mail addresses of European bookshops and, having E. translate the letters, sent enquiries to them as well.
Apart from Germany, no one responded. In the German reply, they expressed gratitude but said that they could not take the risk of stocking the books of an Uzbek writer — especially one without any established reputation.
H. began to sink into deep despair. He could no longer find peace within himself. After several days of emotional turmoil, he finally managed to pull himself together. He reminded himself that no work reaches success easily, that great hardship lies behind every achievement, and, most importantly, that he had taken the first step towards the Nobel Prize. This calmed him a little.
He bought ten books by Western authors who were popular there and had been translated into Uzbek, and read them carefully. He judged that his own works were not inferior to theirs — and, if anything, were even superior in many respects.
Reflecting on how the Western market thrives on advertising, he found the official representatives in Tashkent who ran advertising campaigns for Western media and online publications, and visited their office. Understanding H.'s goals clearly, the official representatives of the foreign media in Tashkent presented him with an excellent proposal: they would organise book presentation events in Paris, London, and Washington, and conduct advertising campaigns across America and Europe. Their service fee was thirty thousand dollars, which included the presentation events, invitations and permits, and the costs of advertising in media and online publications. H. told them he would think it over and let them know, then took his leave.
After several days of serious consideration, he decided to sell the unoccupied house he had been gifted by the Writers' Union. This sum would be sufficient for trips to the three countries, for the presentation ceremonies, and for advertisements — and part of it would even remain. There was no room for hesitation, no possibility of turning back…
***
"The presentations and advertisements were held. But there were still no results."
***
"The West ignored the Uzbek writer. Thinking that there was no justice there, he decided to use the remainder of his money to have his works translated into the languages of Turkic countries. Still, there were no results…"
***
"The events and advertisements in the West were also promoted back home in Uzbekistan. News spread everywhere that the Uzbek writer's works had been presented in Western countries, received recognition, and been published in English. Unexpectedly, H.'s books began to sell quickly. He had them newly published in Uzbek as well. Although the proceeds were not enough to buy a house, he at least managed to buy a car."
***
"The play 'Uprising of Brides (Kelinlar qo'zg'oloni)' was shown on television. H. watched it. When he heard Farmon Bibi say, 'If the rooster candy is foreign, it goes down more easily,' H. muttered to himself, 'The rooster candy I prepared has indeed gone abroad — and the market has certainly become lively because of it.'"
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