Theatre
Padarkush
Not translated into English
Mahmudxoja Behbudiy · 1911
Synopsis
A rich man refuses to send his son to school: the father's fortune will surely be enough to feed him. An educated friend urges him in vain, and the religion teacher is no more listened to. The boy, idle and unlettered, spends his days at the tavern with young men without a trade, drinks, spends what he is given, and soon finds himself short of money with them. One night, he leads his companions to his father's house.
Context
Written in 1911, the play had to await the authorisation of the Tiflis censor, who gave it only once the cover had been adorned with a dedication to the centenary of the battle of Borodino and to the liberation of Russia from the French occupation. It thus appeared in Samarkand in 1913, subtitled the situation of the uneducated child. It took a further year to stage it: it was performed in Samarkand in January 1914, in Tashkent on 27 February by Abdulla Avloniy's troupe, and then in other towns of the region, where new troupes were formed.
Who it is for
In Uzbek, with no French version. Three acts and four scenes. It is best to know that the play was written to be performed before spectators who were discovering the theatre.
Prizes and reception
The first Turkestani play to be staged, but not the first to be published: a drama published in Namangan in 1912 had preceded it. Its author called it a national tragedy.
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The pages consulted to check this page.