THE 110TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF КASYM АMANZHOLOV

This year marks the 110th anniversary of the birth of the talented poet, journalist, translator, playwright and composer Kasym Rakhimzhanovich Amanzholov.

Kasym Amanzholov was born in 1911 in the Karkaralinsky district of the Karaganda region. The exact date of birth is unknown, but the official birthday of the poet was October 10.

From an early age, Kasym was distinguished by a phenomenal memory and a clear mind. Living in the countryside, every day he ran to the house where the mullah taught local children. They did not allow Kasym to join lessons, because he was too young. However, even listening to the mullah from the street, he remembered the long passages from the Koran better than anyone else and even managed to prompt the elders.

He spent his childhood in a boarding school after losing his parent at a young age. After school, he entered the Semipalatinsk Veterinary College, where he became interested in the Russian literature. Without graduating from the veterinary college, K. Amanzholov suddenly switched to pedagogical college. However, he dropped out from there too. He left for Alma-Ata, where he got a job in the newspaper "Leninshil Zhas" ("Zhas Alash"), and then in "Kyzyl Asker" ("Red Army"): the experience of the pedagogical college, where Kasym drew wall newspapers, came in handy. The republican youth newspaper "Leninshil zhas" published his first poems in the genres of traditional poetry of reflections (tolgau) and legends (zhyrau).

He tried to take up his education again at the age of 20. He got to the preparatory courses of the pedagogical institute, hoping to enter the literary department of some central Soviet university. Instead, with a group of Kazakhs, he was sent to the Leningrad Institute of Forestry, where Kasym lasted only six months and left, citing poor health.

“My father didn’t even have a certificate of maturity,” – said the poet’s daughter Dariga Amanzholova. – Everything that he achieved was solely due to his self-education and personal abilities. Thanks to them, he studied at the University of Marxism-Leninism at the Writers' Union. This is his only official diploma." Kasym Amanzholov himself joked that he had an education “above secondary and below higher”. After an unsuccessful study in Leningrad, Kasym Amanzholov left for Uralsk, where he worked in the editorial office of the “Udarnaya Stroyka” newspaper. He tries to prove himself in literary studies, drama. He organized the troupe of the Ural Regional Kazakh Drama Theater under the Regional Professional Council. He later became its artistic director.

K. Amanzholov communicated with people who were close to him in spirit, these are poets and writers as Kh. Bekkhozhin, K. Satybaldin, Zh. Bekturov, D. Abilev, and etc. Recalling the long-term friendly past, journalist, writer Zh. Bekturov wrote: “Kasym was endowed not only with the gift of song. Artistic, musical... Kasym always appeared unexpectedly, showing manuscripts with new poems. They were printed, noting how mature the author's skill was."

In 1938, a significant event for the poet was the publication of his first book of poems about the young people of that time "Confessions of Life." His poem "The Mysterious Girl" won the second prize at a literary competition.

With the beginning of Great Patriotic War, the poet volunteered for the army. He served in the Far East, where he got a writing job at an army newspaper. He wrote poems about Lenin, the party and his political officer. On behalf of his officers, he also wrote about his fellow countryman, the Karaganda miner Martbek Mamraev, who became a Hero of the Soviet Union. It was the time when he wrote patriotic poems and wrote the poem "Death of a Poet" about the deceased young poet Abdulla Zhumagaliev. Kasym Amanzholov truthfully described the atmosphere of the front, he experienced the hardships of the war and the post-war period.

  After demobilization, K. Amanzholov returned to Alma-Ata and works in the magazine "Literature and Art". He became known as one of the innovators of Kazakh poetry, who introduced a ten-syllable type of versification, which makes it possible to express the phenomenon of life through the prism of his feelings. “Love for the people is the main thing in me,” - said K. Amanzholov.

Since the 40s, K. Amanzholov has been actively translating Russian and Western classics (Pushkin, Lermontov, Mayakovski, Tvardovsky, Byron, etc.). He had the talent of a musician and combined the gift of an akyn-improviser. As G. Slanov recalled: “as soon as he took the dombra in his hands, he was transformed instantly... He was all filled with rhythm and music”. His songs "Dariga" and "Native Land" became popular among the people.

Kasym Amanzholov finished his life in January 1955 at the peak of his creative powers. In memory of his work life, his works were published in three volumes.

Streets in the cities of Nur-Sultan, Karaganda, Shymkent, Uralsk, Atyrau are named after Kasym Amanzholov. In the Karkaralinsky district, the state farm is named after the name of the poet. The state archive of the Karaganda region stores the poet's personal archive fund. A monument has been placed in Karaganda, the Amanzholov magazine is published and the Amanzhol readings are held annually.

For many years in Almaty, the daughter of Kasym Amanzholov collected a bibliographic index about her father and published the book "Memories of Kasym Amanzholov". She donated the collected card index, the book “Omir syry” (1938), manuscripts and personal belongings to the scientists of the “Kasymtan” center of the Karaganda University named after E.A. Buketov. Scientists of the center conducted an expedition to the archives of the cities of Almaty, Uralsk and Semey to collect materials, where poems and articles of the poet were collected.

In the Library of Elbasy, the reader can find literature: K. Amanzholov "Dariga, that girl: Poems"; К. Amanzholov "Storm: Poems"; "Works" in 3 volumes (Compiled by D.K. Amanzholova); "Collection of works in two volumes: Songs and poems" (Compiled by D.K. Amanzholova); "Kasym Amanzholov (1911-1955): Essay on life and work" (Dzhuanyshbekov N.); "Poems" (Compiled by S. Dautov).