Passion or Profession: Writer

Period: 1894–1939

Kadyri was born into a family of peasant gardeners, but he went on to study Arabic and Persian languages, graduate from the Moscow Institute of Literature, and publish several influential novels. He became a literary critic and helped develop the genres of realistic novel and satire. He was sentenced to death in 1938 during the Soviet purges led by Joseph Stalin. Kadyri was one of many members of the educated class who were killed for opposing Stalin.