“Literature and Politics in Early Soviet Central Asia: Case Study of Sadriddin Aini’s Odina and Margi sudkhūr.”

Abstract In this article I will analyse the relationship between literature and politics in the works of Sadriddin Aini, a prominent Soviet Tajik writer (1878–1954), who is often called the founding father of modern Tajik literature. Sadriddin Aini witnessed the final years of the Bukharan Emirate, the events of the October Revolution and the subsequent creation of the Soviet Central Asian republics. This article will begin with the analysis of the political context in the Central Asian region during that period and will then discuss general directions of the early Soviet cultural policies, as well as certain biographical details of Aini’s life. It will then proceed to the comparison between one of Aini’s earlier works, Odina, and his later work, Margi sudkhūr. By comparing the literary methods Aini used in these two works, this article will explore the development of his literary ideas with regards to his evolving relationship with the Soviet government and with the ideas of Socialist realism.