Salima Kalkabayeva,

Candidate of Philology, Associate Professor

KazNU, Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Works of Russian Writers of Kazakhstan
about Famous Kazakh Figures in Literature

It is obvious that mostly artists contributed to the development of Kazakh people’s socio-political life and spirituality, literature and science by their music, poems and writings. These are great scientists Al-Farabi and Shokan Ualikhanov; thinker and poet Abai; enlighteners, poets and writers Ybyrai Altynsarin, Sultanmakhmut Toraygyrov and Saken Seifullin; poets Bukhar, Aktamberdi, Makhambet, Bazar, Akan seri, Birzhan sal, Baluan Sholak, Zhayau Musa, Madi; singers, kuyi performers and musicians Korkyt, Ykylas, Kurmangazy, Dauletkerei, Tattimbet, Dina, Sugyr and so on.

There are lots of works in Kazakh prose describing the living environment, destiny, achievements and general portrait of these irreplaceable persons. For example, starting with Mukhtar Auezov’s “Abai” till Sabit Mukanov’s “Baluan Sholak ” (1941) and “The star of Akan” (1967), D.Abilov’s “Akan’s Dream” (1971), A.Alimzhanov’s “Makhambet’s Arrow” (1969, 1972, 1987), “The Teacher’s Return” (1978, 1981), A.Tokmagambetov’s “The Dome of the Tune” (1975), T.Alimkulov’s “The nation and the motherland” (1978), “Seitek’s Tune” (1966), S.Bakbergenov’s “The mother” (1963), Z.Akyshev’s “Zhayau Musa” (1978), Y.Zhakhanov “Ykylas” (1990), K.Zhumadilov “Daraboz” (1994, 1996), A.Saray “Isatai and Makhambet” (1997), Zh.Moldagaliyev “The First Ring” (1978), “The Pure Spring” (1984) and other countless novels and true stories.

Professor Kanseit Abderuly was a researcher who thoroughly learnt about historic figures, especially relating to arts, about their portraits, description of their own manner of mastery in writing in Kazakh prose of 60-80 years. In his work called “The history and destiny” (2004) we can meet the following statement: “Generally, in every written work about Kazakh writers and poets, the main hero’s spiritual world is described widely, in accordance with social environment of the times he lived in. The person’s spiritual phenomena are described not starkly, but fulfilled with the socio-political situations that took place in the history. The life of the artist and the era where he lived is shown in parallel. By saying this, the writer wanted us to know that the works of those poets and writers were strongly connected to their social and political matters that happened in Kazakh history during their lifetime. Historic moments are the primary cause and factor that can truly show us the personality of the artist. This statement was also shared and approved by other literature scientists. Historic works based on true stories must be in correspondence with the main hero’s development, actions and characteristic descriptions. This statement was offered in Zh.Dadebayev’s “The Writer’s Work” (2001). Also in this work we can see the following note: “In historic works the main focus must be made not on the simple people’s everyday living, but on socio-political phenomena showing the whole people’s life and destiny in the particular time episode.

There are many works in Russian - about Kazakh people’s life during past centuries, about historic persons’ life and art - that satisfy the condition stated by Zh.Dadebayev previously. These figures are Russian writers who lived in Kazakh land – Nikolay Anov, Pavel Kuznetsov, Uryi Dombrovskyi, Dmitryi Snegin, Moris Simashko, Ivan Shegolihin, Ivan Shukhov and so on. The main subject in the works of these Kazakh-russian literature representatives is talented personas such as Y.Altynsarin and Zh.Zhabayev, social figures such as B.Momyshuly, A.Zhangeldin, O.Zhandosov. Russian writers could successfully reveal Kazakh people’s portrait in psychological aspect, their relationships with Russian neighbours, and their spiritual and scientific achievements.

If we briefly consider the works of Russian writers concentrated on historic theme, we clearly see that the most attention was given to Y.Altynsarin. Ybyrai was the enlightener who insisted the youth to be curious and thirsty for knowledge. The representative of Kazakh-russian literature and culture Aleksander Alektorov was one of those who wrote about Ybyrai Altynsarin with big and deep interest. Also the intellectual picture of Altynsarin took special place in M.Simashko’s “The Ring” (1982). He tried to show his teaching experience, the development of his weltanschauung and opinion; his spiritual and intellectual resemblance with thoughtful and educated Russian figures. The consideration of M.Simashko’s work is provided in the following works: Zh.N.Yergalieva “The Kazakh theme in the works of M.Simashko”, A.H.Ibrasheva “The oriental prose of M.Simashko”. Yergaliyeva and Ibrasheva took M.Simashko’s works as the object for research; they passed the thorough investigation and estimated his creations in scientific aspect.

In the result of joining Kazakhstan to Russia, building of relationships between two nations and developing of spirituality between them were the main themes in the following history-based works: N.Anov “The White Mosque” (1948), “The wings of the song” (1956), A.Sergeyev “The Petersburg Ambassador” (1980), E.Shegolikhin “Too kind heart” (1983).

Pavel Kuznetsov was the first who translated the poems of Zhambyl Zhabayev, also he wrote the historic novel “Man finds his happiness” (1950) about the life story of Zhambyl. In 1953 this work was awarded a prize given in honor of Zhambyl Zhabayev and in 1959 it was translated and published in Kazakh language. In this novel the author described the levels of development from young Zhambyl to a great poet Zhambyl Zhabayev.

Russian writers from Kazakhstan created not only about the art of Kazakh people, also they pictured the unique images of A.S.Pushkin (N.A.Ranevsky “When Portraits will Speak” and “The Portraits Talk”), Plesheyev - poet who was the person of proscription from Russia to Kazakh land by political matters (I.Anov «The White Mosque»), democrat writer F.M.Dostoyevsky (P.Kostenko «Irtysh and Neva»), poet and the social figure M.Mikhailov (I.Shegolikhin «Too Kind Heart»), classic poets Omar Khayam and Maktymkuly (M.Simashko «Fraga’s Temptation») etc. The heroes of U.Dombrovsky were Derzhavin, Byron, Shakespeare, Genrih Geyne and Griboyedovs.

We must admit that publishing of Russian writers’ works’ translations improved the connection of Kazakh-russian literature. Each work we considered beyond left a significant print on the development. Also there were works of Kazakh writers that were translated to Russian language, such as Z.Akyshev «Zhayau Musa», S.Mukanov «Baluan Sholak». These novels were translated by I.Shegolikhin. The main heroes of the U.Dombrovsky’s works were Kazakh intellectuals; he masterly translated the works of B.Mailin, S.Mukanov, I.Yesemberlin, A.Nurpeisov, T.Akhtanov, E.Ysmailov and B.Sokpakbayev. He remained in a close friendship with Kazakh famous figures, so he could deeply learn the life and culture of Kazakh people.

Adding to this, D.Snegin, G.Belger and I.Shukhov were translators of the works of famous Kazakh writers M.Auezov, S.Mukanov, G.Musirepov, G.Mustafin, A.Nurpeisov, Kh.Yesenzhanov, A.Kekilbayev, D.Doszhanov and A.Abishev.

Kazakh literature science also didn’t left the works of Russian writers without attention. The proof is the Candidate dissertations pointed on the research of development of Russian literature in Kazakhstan such as M.Sydyknazarova’s «The Genre of Essay in the Modern Prose of Kazakhstan», (according to G.Belger, I.Shegolikhin. D.Snegin’s essays), B.Zholdasbekova’s “The Specialties of I.P.Shukhov’s Epic Prose”, R.Musabekova’s “The Picturing of Historic Truth in the Writings of Uryi Dombrovsky. Such works, created mostly in the last ten years, show the connection of Kazakh-russian literature and the importance of translating the famous works to other languages.

1. Abdezuly K., “History and destiny”. – Almaty: Kazykurt, 2004, p.132-133.

2. Dadebayev Zh. “Writer’s work”. – Almaty: Kazak Universitety, 2001, p.9.