An Analysis of the Science Fiction Stories of the Uzbek Writer Hojiakbar Shayxov

Abstract

Hojiakbar Shayxov is an Uzbek writer who makes extensive use of science fiction elements in his stories. Born in East Turkestan to a Tashkent family due to Bolshevik-era policies, he completed his education in Tashkent and worked as an engineer at the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan. The first aim of this study is to introduce Shayxov to Turkish readers, and the second is to examine his science fiction stories within a theoretical framework. This framework is built upon Todorov’s conception of the fantastic thinking, Darko Suvin’s concepts of cognitive estrangement and the novum, Samuel R. Delany’s reader-centered approach to genre, and Damien Broderick’s science fiction theory grounded in epistemic change. In the analytical section, six stories have been selected from the collection Shayxov published in 1972: 7-SER, Tasodifiy Qo‘nish (Accidental Landing), Maydon Panohida (Under the Protection of the Ring), Toshdagi Izlar (Traces in Stone), G‘aroyib Tushlar (Strange Dreams), and Kelgindilar (The Visitors). The stories are examined theoretically. The analyses show that the texts rest not on supernatural ambiguity but on scientific causality and rational explanation, aligning more closely with Suvin’s criteria for science fiction than with Todorov’s “fantastic thinking.” It has also been found that technological innovations are framed not merely as instrumental devices but as elements that foreground moral questioning. The stories are situated within the “fantastika” tradition of Soviet literature, a broad category encompassing science fiction, gothic, and fantastic narratives. “Fantastika” is treated as an umbrella concept, with science fiction regarded as one genre within it.