President Emomali Rahmon has ordered to launch a contest to determine the best bibliophile in Tajikistan. The overall winner will get 50,000 somoni in prize money.
The contest, dubbed Furughi Subhi Donoi… (The Shine of Morning of Knowledge…), will be held this year among all sections of society, including school and university students, according to the Tajik president’s official website.
The contest will be held in several categories and the President has ordered the Ministry of Finance to allocate 310,000 somoni from President’s Reserve Fund for conduct of the contest.
The jury members include representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Academy of Sciences, President’s Executive Office as well known researchers, writers and poets of the country. Presidential Adviser for Social Development and Public Relations, Abdujabbor Rahmonzoda, heads the jury.
The contest participants, for example, should know by heart at least 100 ghazals, 120 rubaiyat, 100 lines from dedications, 200 lines of verses, and 300 lines from poems from Tajik classic and modern poetry.
They should also know Tajik classic and modern prose and works by world literature classics.
The contest participants should read at least 50 short stories, 20 novels, 30 novellas, 15 memories by writers and poets, 25 tales and 10 works by foreign writers.
The “Tajik Classic Literature” category winner will receive 35,000 somoni and winners of other categories will receive 30,000 somoni each. The overall winner will receive the grand prize – 50,000 somoni.
The award ceremony foe the winners will take place in late December this year.
