The soft and bright Turkmen autumn is especially conducive to conversation about the extraordinarily penetrating and wise poet Gurbannazar Ezizov, who, during his short 35-year life, created astonishingly pure and touching poetry that will forever remain in the memory of our people.

When, on an autumn morning, you open the windows and feel the light touch of the gentle breeze celebrated by the poet in his poems, you involuntarily immerse yourself in his works, which are rich in love, kindness and nobility. These feelings inspired a conversation with the poet’s daughter, Yazgul Ezizova, editor-in-chief of the Architecture and Construction of Turkmenistan Magazine.

Yazgul, we are glad to see you and welcome you to our editorial office!

These days, your father, People’s Writer of Turkmenistan and laureate of Magtymguly State Prize Gurbannazar Ezizov is increasingly being recalled. Literary soirees and creative meetings, devoted to the legacy of the poet, whom literary scholars and poetry lovers call the “Poet of Spring and Autumn”, are being held.

The President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov noted the importance of properly preparing events to mark Gurbannazar Ezizov’s 85th birthday, which is being celebrated this year, at a government meeting held on October 23. This must all be exciting for you?

Of course! Just as parents rejoice and are proud of their child’s success, so too do children experience immense happiness and pride in their parents’ accomplishments. I would like to begin our conversation with words of profound gratitude from our entire close-knit family to the esteemed President of Turkmenistan for his attention to Ezizov’s poems and the work being done to perpetuate his memory.

They say greatness is defined by service. Behind every great personality stands their family and their milieu. The poet Gurbannazar Ezizov’s happy and prosperous family also influenced his work...

Indeed, family has a great influence on the development of a person, who inherits the best qualities from their parents. Almost everyone, who knew my father closely, says he was modest and incredibly kind-hearted, a person of great insight. The key principles passed down in our family are also associated with modesty, sincerity and honesty. This is also can be seen in my father’s poetry.

As one famous philosopher said, “Simplicity is the highest level of art.” Indeed, simplicity is understandable to everyone, and isn’t that the highest goal of art? This thought is also expressed in one of the poet’s famous poems: he writes that no one has ever suffered from simplicity and modesty. So, simplicity is the key to success, isn’t it?

We were children when our father died. We did not yet understand that he was not only the dearest and important person to us, but also a beloved poet of the people. As we grew older and studied Turkmen literature, we began to realize how talented and brilliant he was. We continue to get to know him to this day. Rereading my father’s poems, we always discover something new, something previously undiscovered. This exalts his dignity as a person.

Yazgul, do you think it is true that “a poet reflects his true biography in his poems”?

Gurbannazar Ezizov’s works are truly multifaceted. Everyone finds something in them that speaks to their soul. For some, Ezizov’s poetry is full of complex philosophy, for others, it is rich in emotions clear as the moon. For example, as a daughter, I love his poems “Gyzlaryma”, “Uzak ýaýlada enäniň hüwdüsi”, “Eneme” and “Meniň aslyýetim”, imbued with inexhaustible love. My father’s verses evoke the radiant image of my grandmother and convey the wise gaze of my grandfather and the tender caress of my mother.

My grandmother often told me that my father had a wonderful, kind character from childhood. And my mother recalls how he valued his family and was deeply attached to his children. We, in turn, tell these stories to our children and grandchildren. I love that so many people have written, are writing and want to write about my father. After all, this is the perpetuation of memory.

You are right, the poet gave his readers a priceless treasure that has lived in people’s hearts for decades – his poems. The poet, who wrote in the language of love “Söýüň meni – ýürek söýgi küýseýär”, will live forever in the people’s memory.

My father’s poems about love, life and nature reveal that the meaning of life lies in the simplest things. You know, his poem about life, seemingly so simple in content, contains profound meaning. In this poem, he speaks of the simplest things that surround him, explaining that this is life itself, inseparable from them. This is what the poem “Razy” is about. Such qualities as gratitude to fate, the search for the true meaning of our lives and the acceptance of life solely for its own good attract the reader. I would say that this is the poet’s main mission – to call the reader to spiritual perfection.

When we remember Gurbannazar Ezizov, we involuntarily recall the poet’s beloved wife, your mother Halnabat Eje. Reading and listening to her warm recollections of the memorable moments of their short, but loving and understanding, family life, one can be struck by their special respect for each other. Tell us about this.

Indeed, the family ties that bound my parents serve as an example of strength for us. You have rightfully noted their mutual respect. I believe it was the depth and steadfastness of this feeling that contributed to my father’s development as a brilliant poet and served as a source of inspiration for him. Let me recall an incident that may serve as an example of what I’m talking about. Usually, when my father and other writers and poets would gather for creative discussions, each of them would bring some kind of treat. Once, at one of these gatherings, my father brought a churek (bread) baked by my mother. The renowned writer Ata Atajanov broke off a piece of bread and, after tasting it, said, “It’s impossible not to become a poet, eating such churek!” And my father always recalled these words of the talented writer with admiration. It was an expression of his pride in the woman who had baked this bread, his wife.

When you think of your father, what are the first moments that come to mind?

It was when he would gather us, his daughters, around him and play the dutar, and we, trying to keep up with each other, would sing the song “Pöwrizäm”. These were moments of true happiness, which will remain etched in our memories forever.

The poet, dedicating a poem to his unborn son, wrote, “Bar myradym, mydarym...” and even chose a name for him, but he was destined to pass away shortly before his birth. When I hear the lullaby “Uzak ýaýlada enäniň hüwdüsi”, this scene comes to life in my imagination, like a still from a movie.

My brother Serdar was born forty days after my father’s death. I was in the second grade at the time. I remember today, how the poetess Nyazik Annatiyeva, not even getting out of the car in which she had arrived for the remembrance lunch on the fortieth day after his death, loudly announced to those gathered, “Bushluk! Gurbannazar has had a son!” This news delighted everyone present, as if they were announcing “Gurbannazar himself has returned.” For our family, who had recently lost the person dearest to us, this news was priceless. When I think about it, I still get emotional.

Our people say, “A son is a man’s continuation.” The poet Gurbannazar Ezizov left behind a wonderful lineage that continues to live and create.

You are right. We are four daughters and one son, 18 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. When we get together as a family, we always recite my father’s poems so that even the youngest members of our family remember him. At those moments, it feels as if my dad is right there with us, illuminating us with the light of his radiant smile.

Numerous memoirs have been written about Gurbannazar Ezizov, and a film has even been made. Recently, the Magtymguly National Music and Drama Theater presented a play Gurbannazar Ezizov, devoted to the poet. You were among the first to see this theatrical production.

Yes, I was just about to tell you about this performance. The young director Mekan Jumabayev, who staged it, strove to reveal my father’s inner world, and he succeeded. The literary basis for the stage production was written by the writer brothers, Hydyr and Ilyas Amangeldiyevs. They were close to our family, were close to our father and respected him greatly. The audience also shared their impressions of the production. The image of my father, brought to life on the theater stage, made a deep impression on us. I believe that thanks to this performance, my father’s image and his poems will be even more firmly entrenched in the people’s memory.

Recently, on November 14, our family attended a musical celebration in honor of Gurbannazar Ezizov’s 85th birthday, organized by order of the esteemed President at the aforementioned theater. At the celebration, along with performances in my father’s honor, his poems and songs, based on them, were performed. On this day, it seemed like everyone, even nature, was talking about my father.

A poet’s verses are a source of inspiration for creative people, and his life is a model for achieving excellence. To remain a role model in such a short life is something more than just to be a poet.

You are right, I am also pleased that there are many admirers of my father’s works among both young people and older generation. I am often invited to literary evenings and cultural events devoted to my father’s life and works. It is a great honor for me to see his poems read and listened to with genuine enthusiasm, and stories and reminiscences about him arouse great interest. I am amazed at how close my father’s relationship was to the people. Most people know my father only through his poems and stories about him.

Your words reminded me of your father’s poem “Şahyr bilen ulus-iliň arasy”, which talks about exactly this, that is, about the poet’s closeness to his people:

Gezmek, Görmek, Iliň halyny bilmek, Owal-başda şahyrlaryň käridir. Şeýle adamlaryň şahyry bolmak, Dünýede ýetdirmez bagtyň biridir —

We would like to emphasize once again that the poet’s brilliant works are a model for our youth.

We sincerely thank you for taking the time to talk to us about the person dearest to you – your father, our people’s beloved poet Gurbannazar Ezizov. We wish you every success and well-being, Yazgul!

Thank you! I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the National Leader of the Turkmen people Hero-Arkadag and the head of our state Arkadagly Serdar for their close attention to such issues as preserving the people’s literary heritage and honoring great writers and poets in their government activities. I wish the Hero-Arkadag and the esteemed President Serdar Berdimuhamedov good health, a long life and every success in their noble endeavors!

Yazgul ANNAYEVA,

ussatnews.com.