The Successful Life of Qurbon Amirqulov

Memories of Leadership in the Southern Periphery of Uzbekistan

Abstract

Autobiographical stories, which are favorite literary genre in Central Asia today, provide rich source material for a yet-to-be-written cultural history of the region in Soviet and post-Soviet times. Destiny is the extended life story of Qurbon Amirqulov, manager and entrepreneur from the periphery of Uzbekistan who in synopsis rates his lifetime struggles and achievements as thorough success. Investigating the author account and interpretation, this paper points out the societal and economic ideals of the man, many of which collided with Soviet and to lesser extent post-Soviet ideals and realities, and his strategies in real life and in life-writing for coming to terms with problematic aspects of the past and for coping with the ever-changing challenges of the present.