Gozel Shagulyeva
{{short description|Turkmen poet (born 1940)}}
{{Orphan|date=July 2023}}
Gozel Shagulyeva (also Amangözel Şagulyýewa,{{sfn|Government of Turkmenistan|2020}} Turkmen: Гозель Шагулыева;{{sfn|Turkmen News|2021}} born 11 August 1940) is a Turkmen poet. She began writing poetry at a young age, and has since become a prominent cultural figure in Turkmenistan. She writes about her affection and adoration of Turkmen politicians, including former presidents Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow and Saparmurat Niyazov; she was awarded the title of Hero of Turkmenistan by Berdimuhamedow for her literary contributions to the culture of the country in 2015. Her writing has been criticised for being too flattering.
Early life
Gozel Shagulyeva was born on 11 August 1940 in the Mary Region of Turkmenistan.{{sfn|Shagulyeva|2019}} She was the eldest of six children.{{sfn|Shagulyeva|2019}} Her father told her folk stories in her youth, and she began writing poetry at the age of 11 for a school newspaper.{{sfn|Shagulyeva|2019}}
Career
Shagulyeva poetry is well-known to the Turkmen public for its persistent displays of admiration and affection for president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow—often referring to him with the title {{lang|tk|Arkadag}} (protector)—such as in her declarations "I will live, dedicated to you" and "You are as great as the Universe, Arkadag!".{{harvnb|Chronicle of Turkmenistan|2015}}: "{{lang|tk|Я буду жить, посвящая оды тебе ... Ты велик, как Вселенная, Аркадаг!}} Similarly, her earlier work admired Saparmurat Niyazov, the first president of Turkmenistan; she wrote about him that if he were to die, so would she, and that she would have "no life without" him.{{harvnb|Chronicle of Turkmenistan|2015}}: "{{lang|tk|Мне нет жизни без тебя!}}" In 2015, she was named a Hero of Turkmenistan by Berdimuhamedow for her contributions to the nation's cultural environment.{{sfn|Chronicle of Turkmenistan|2015}} The event, in which she was also awarded the {{lang|tk|Altyn Aý}} (Golden Moon) medal, coincided with the release of her book of poems {{lang|tk|Göwün otyr aý içinde}}.{{sfn|Chronicle of Turkmenistan|2015}}
After the restoration of a structure at the Seyit Jemalletdin Mosque in 2016, Shagulyeva met with a United States delegation (including Allan Mustard, the ambassador to Turkmenistan) to signal the strength of Turkmenistan–United States relations.{{sfn|U.S. Embassy|2016}} The restoration was United States-funded, and a press release by the United States embassy described Shagulyeva as "a famous Turkmen poet".{{sfn|U.S. Embassy|2016}}
Her writing about Berdimuhamedow earned her criticism from Eurasianet in 2018, where she was described as "sycophantic and craven" for her poem "The Messenger of Heaven Descended to Earth", written to celebrate Berdimuhamedow's birthday and published on the front page of Neytralny Turkmenistan, the state newspaper of Turkmenistan.{{sfn|Akhal-Teke|2018}} They said historians will remember her for being an undying "court flatterer" with a "voluminous toadeating poetic oeuvre".{{sfn|Akhal-Teke|2018}}
References
=Citations=
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=Bibliography=
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- {{cite interview |last=Shagulyeva |first=Gozel |title=Герой Туркменистана Гозель Шагулыева дала интервью для читателей "Туркменпортала" |trans-title=Turkmen hero Gozel Shagulyeva gives interview to Turkmenportal readers |lang=tk |date=27 February 2019 |work=Turkmenportal |url=https://turkmenportal.com/blog/17636/geroi-turkmenistana-gozel-shagulyeva-dala-intervyu-dlya-chitatelei-turkmenportala |access-date=5 April 2022}}
- {{cite news |title=Turkmenistan: The art of flattery |url=https://eurasianet.org/turkmenistan-the-art-of-flattery |access-date=5 April 2022 |work=Eurasianet |date=3 July 2018 |language=en |department=Akhal-Teke |ref={{harvid|Akhal-Teke|2018}}}}
- {{cite news |title=Гозель Шагулыева стала "Героем Туркменистана" |url=https://www.hronikatm.com/2015/09/gozel-shagulyieva-stala-geroem-turkmenistana/ |access-date=5 April 2022 |work=Chronicle of Turkmenistan |date=12 September 2015 |language=tk |trans-title=Gozel Shagulyeva becomes "Hero of Turkmenistan" |ref={{harvid|Chronicle of Turkmenistan|2015}}}}
- {{cite web |title=Türkmenistanyň Gahrymany Amangözel Şagulyýewa |url=https://turkmenistan.gov.tm/index.php/tk/habar/51460/turkmenistanyn-gahrymany-amangozel-sagulyyewa |website=Government of Turkmenistan |access-date=5 April 2022 |language=tk |date=11 August 2020 |trans-title=Hero of Turkmenistan Amangözel Şagulyýewa |ref={{harvid|Government of Turkmenistan|2020}}}}
- {{cite news |title=Гозель Шагулыева написала новое стихотворение о Бердымухамедове, а он сам — о мирной жизни |url=https://turkmen.news/turkmenistan-shagulyeva/ |access-date=5 April 2022 |work=Turkmen News |date=13 December 2021 |language=tk |trans-title=Gozel Shagulyeva wrote a new poem about Berdimuhamedov, and he wrote about peaceful life |ref={{harvid|Turkmen News|2021}}}}
- {{cite web |title=Closing ceremony for the AFCP-funded Annau Mosque mosaic restoration project |url=https://tm.usembassy.gov/closing-ceremony-afcp-funded-annau-mosque-mosaic-restoration-project/ |website=U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan |access-date=8 April 2022 |date=19 August 2016 |ref={{harvid|U.S. Embassy|2016}}}}
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