On December 16, at the conference hall of the “Turon” Information and Library Center, a presentation of multilingual editions of “Bygone Days” and “From the Mihrab to the Scorpion”, novels by Abdulla Qodiriy, the founder of the Uzbek historical fiction school, published by the “Uzbekistan” publishing house in Uzbek, Russian, and English, took place. The event was attended by literary scholars, writers and translators, publishing representatives, university faculty, and literature enthusiasts.

The presentation was opened by the chief editor of “Uzbekistan” publishing house, Azimboy Babaniyazov, who spoke about the 101-year history of the publishing house, its current development stage, and the importance of publishing Abdulla Qodiriy’s novels in multiple languages for promoting our national literature worldwide.

During the event, the Rector of the Uzbekistan State University of World Languages, Doctor of Pedagogy, Professor Ilkhomjon Tukhtasinov, delivered a speech highlighting reforms in book publishing and distribution, the promotion of reading culture, and translating Uzbek literary masterpieces into foreign languages. He emphasized that bringing the national literary heritage to the international stage has become a state policy at the level of Presidential and Government decisions.

Additionally, the publishing director Khushnudjon Makhmudov, Deputy Chairman of the Writers’ Union of Uzbekistan Gayrat Majid, representatives of writer dynasties Khondamir and Sherkon Qodiriy, and prominent literary scholars and creators shared their views on the literary, historical, and spiritual significance of these publications.

Under the leadership of Rector Professor Ilkhomjon Tukhtasinov, translations of Abdulla Qodiriy’s novels “Bygone Days” and “From the Mihrab to the Scorpion” into English were carried out by the university’s experienced translators in cooperation with the Writers’ Union of Uzbekistan. During the preparation and editing process, Omon Muminov, Nosir Qambarov, Elmira Muratova, Adhambek Alimbekov, Muhammadavaz Irisqulov, and foreign specialists Elis Brittan and Barsum Peter actively participated. The translations went through several stages of local and international editorial review, with special attention paid to preserving the artistic spirit and national color of the works.

At the end of the event, Chief Editor Azimboy Babaniyazov shared plans to publish Oybek’s “Navoi”, Cholpon’s “Night and Day”, and Pirimqul Qodirov’s “Starry Nights” in English. Participants were presented with commemorative gifts from the “Uzbekistan” publishing house.