Sadriddin Ayniy was born in 1878 in a village near Bukhara. Orphaned young, he studied in the city's madrasas and joined the Jadid movement, which cost him a public flogging by order of the Emir in 1917. He wrote in both Tajik and Uzbek and became a major figure in each literature. His novels Dokhunda, Ghulomon (Slaves) and Margi sudkhur (Death of the Usurer), together with his multi-volume memoirs, are classics. Unlike most of his generation he survived the purges, later became the first President of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, and died in 1954.
Key achievements
Wrote foundational novels in both Tajik and Uzbek, including Margi sudkhur (Death of the Usurer)
His multi-volume Yoddoshtho (Memoirs) is a primary source on life in the Emirate of Bukhara
Became the first President of the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan
