Gamzat Tsadasa: biography of the Avar writer

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The small Dagestan village of Tsada gave the world two masters of the word at once - Gamzat Tsadasu and Rasul Gamzatov. Today we will talk about Gamzat Tsadas, whose pseudonym can be translated into Russian as "Fiery". You will get acquainted with the biography of Gamzat Tsadasa and his work!

Childhood

Gamzat was born in 1877 in the family of an ordinary peasant Yusupil Magoma. The boy was orphaned early - he was only seven years old when his father died. Gamzat was handed over to his uncle for upbringing. Education occupied a special place in the biography of Gamzat Tsadas. At the age of ten, the boy was sent as a guardian to study at the school at the mosque in the village of Ginichutl. Gamzat studied not only theology. In the list of subjects that interested Tsadas, geography and law, mathematics and logic, astronomy and Arabic.

Work and self-education

Having completed his studies at school, Gamzat worked hard - in the city of Grozny he was engaged in the construction of a railway, in the upper reaches of the Koysu River he worked as a lumberjack. After that, for some time Gamzat Tsadasa was a dibir -priest and judge in several Dagestan settlements at once.

At the same time, Gamzat was engaged in self-education. He first studied Arabic poetry. In his library were poems by Omar Khayyam, Navoi, Hafiz, Fizuli, Saadi. He was also familiar with Firdousi's "Shah-name". Gamzat Tsadasa, whose biography we are now talking about, paid special attention to the work of poets from Dagestan. He was fascinated by the works of E. Emin and Eldarilav, O. Batyray and Tazhuddin Chanka, I. Kazak and Ankhil Marin. Tsadasu was interested in the novels of Victor Hugo, Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Krylov, Anton Chekhov.

Gamzat can be safely called an expert on Muslim jurisprudence, and therefore in 1917 he was elected a member (and later chairman) of the Avar Sharia Court. In 1920, Tsadas was appointed chairman of the Khunzakh Food Committee, and a year later he was sent to the regional Avar newspaper called "Red Mountains". After working in the newspaper, he took the position of clerk of the Khunzakh regional executive committee.

The beginning of the creative path

The first poems of Gamzat Tsadas were published in 1891. The very first poetic work is “The Dog of Alibek”. It is worth saying that the pre-revolutionary poetry of Tsadas was exclusively accusatory. All the verses of Gamzat were directed against all mullahs, traders. He also spoke out against the norms of adat - customs operating in certain regions. It was according to these norms that all cases of bride kidnapping, blood feud, etc. were decided.

In verses writtenafter the October Revolution, Gamzat acts as a singer of a new life that has come among the highlanders-workers. The Avar poet called for the establishment of the power of the Soviets everywhere. The first collection of poems by Gamzat Tsadasa - "Broom of Adats" - was published in 1934. At the same time, Gamzat was recognized as the first national poet of Dagestan.

In the early 30s of the last century, writers from Moscow came to the village of Tsada. Nikolai Tikhonov, Pyotr Pavlenko and Vladimir Lugovsky were very interested in the biography of Gamzat Tsadasa and, of course, his work. Tikhonov, by the way, later recalled this acquaintance. He wrote that Gamzat is the sharpest mind in all of Avaria, a fighter against such vices as self-interest and stupidity, a magnificent poet who can defeat the enemies of the new regime with just a word, a sage who is well versed in the most cunning intricacies of Dagestan life. Nikolai Semenovich also noted the fact that Gamzat Tsadasa did not just write poetry, he thought in poetic form!

Popular recognition

The work of Gamzat Tsadasa played a huge role in all Soviet literature. Lines from his works have long been parsed into quotations. Many are probably familiar with his words that all people are of the same language, but at the same time everyone has two ears - in order to hear two words, only one could be said in response.

A significant part of Tsadasa's works was written for children: he wrote poems, fairy tales and fables for the younger generation. Gamzat Tsadasa also published a collection of magnificent patriotic poems. These poems were very popular.in Dagestan during the Great Patriotic War. Thanks to him, the inhabitants of Dagestan were able to get acquainted with the works of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. In the list of the author of comedy and drama, verse fairy tales, plays and historical poems!

Awards

The poet's work was appreciated by both readers and authorities. During his life, Tsadasa received many awards. Among them:

• Stalin Prize;
• title "People's Poet of Dagestan";
• order of Lenin.

Gamzat has medals - "For Valiant Labor" and "For the Defense of the Caucasus".