Tohir Malik, 72, dies

People's writer of Uzbekistan Tohir Malik died aged 72.

According to reports, Tohir Malik underwent surgery in Tashkent, but doctors could not save his life.

Tohir Malik was born on December 27, 1946 in Tashkent, in a family of military workers. He faced difficulties in his childhood in the aftermath of World War II. These difficulties kept him from attending secondary school. He instead learned from his older brothers and sisters.

Tohir Malik’s first story was written and published in 1960. In 1963, he was admitted to Tashkent State University and studied journalism. He practiced writing short tales, and started writing in fantasy genre, which was new to Uzbekistan. As a student he wrote “Hikmat afandining o'limi” (Death of Hikmet Efendi), the first ever fantasy fiction story in the history of the Uzbek literature. His novels and stories were translated into Russian and other languages. “So'nggi o'q” (The lust bullet) led to a 7 part film, while “Shaytanat” generated a 20 episode series.

We express our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.