AZAM ABIDOV, poet, translator, short short story writer, was born on November 8, 1974 in Namangan, city of flowers, Uzbekistan.
He trained in philology. He has several books of poetry and translation to his credit. Literary scholars and readers have acclaimed his English translations from eminent voices of Uzbek poetry, Usmon Nosir and Chulpon, and contemporary Uzbek poetry. His Uzbek translations from English, American, Indian, French and other world classical and contemporary poetry have also been appreciated in Uzbekistan.
One of the founders of the Creative Writing and Translation Club, Azam tries to become a bridge between world and Uzbek literature, widen the circle of young literary translators and encourage them to translate world literature into the Uzbek language and Uzbek literature into world languages. The most successful works by Azam Abidov are Tunes of Asia (English translation of contemporary Uzbek poetry), The Island of Anxiety (poems in Uzbek, English and Spanish), Dream of Lightsome Dawns, A Miracle Is On the Way and I Leave You in Complete Boredom (Uzbek translation of world poetry and fiction). He writes in both Uzbek and English. His poems and translations have appeared in numerous anthologies in Uzbekistan, India, France, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Colombia and in many web magazines. Azam’s awards include BBC World Uzbek Service’s award for free speech in Uzbekistan (2005), literary prizes of “Ulughbek” Foundation (1996, 2000); he was a winner of republican contest on Uzbek and Uzbek Literature (1995), winner of poetry contest “My first booklet” among young poets and writers (1990) and winner of the competition “Art Holiday” (1987-1988).
Azam’s poems have been translated into Russian, Spanish, Assamese, Persian, Gujarati, Malayalam, Bulgarian, Turkish, Vietnamese, French and Hindi languages. He was a Creative Writing Fellow at the University of Iowa in the U.S. (2004) and attended poetry festivals, creative writing workshops and cultural events in India, U.S.A., Germany, Russia, Kazakhstan, Sweden, Austria, Netherlands, France, Vietnam, Turkey, Armenia and Colombia. In collaboration with Uzbek poet Bahrom Ruzimuhammad, Azam compiled two international poetry anthologies, Fish and Snake and The Language of the Birds, involving hundreds of contemporary poets from around the world. He is also a World Poetry Movement’s coordinator of poetry events in Uzbekistan, and one of the founders of Maysara literary and cultural club at the Yudakov Museum in Tashkent. Azam lives with his wife, journalist and poetess Nodira Abdullaeva and with his three sons in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
