Majit Gafuri

Portrait of Majit Gafuri

Majit Gafuri (Bashkir: Мәжит Ғафури, Janalif: Məƶit Ƣafuri, Bashkir: Габделмәҗит Нургани улы Гафуров AKA Tatar Cyrillic: Мәҗит Гафури, Latin: Mäcit Ğafuri ([mæˈʑit ɣʌfuˈrɯɪ]; Russian: Габдельмажи́т Нургани́евич Гафу́ров, Gabdelmazhit Nurganievich Gafurov, also Russian: Мази́т Гафу́ри, Mazit Gafuri; 20 July 1880, Zilim-Karanovo, Ufa Governorate, Russian Empire – 28 October 1934, Ufa, Bashkir ASSR, USSR) was a Bashkir and Tatar poet, writer, and playwright.

Gafuri was born to a Tatar-speaking teacher family, in the village of Zilim-Karanovo (now Gafuriysky District, Bashkortostan). After getting work at Därdemänd's diggings and teaching Kazakh children in the steppe, he studied at the famous Kazan madrasah, Möxämmädiä in 1905-06, then in Galia madrasah, Ufa.

His first verse was published in 1902. The most of his pre-revolutionary verses were anti-religious poems. After the 1917 revolution and the Russian Civil War, the most of his poems was dedicated for the struggle against the Tsarism.

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