Playwright, screenwriter, prose writer B. Zhakiev was born on January 16, 1936, in the village of Bokonbaev, Ton district, Issyk-Kul region, in a peasant family. In 1953, he graduated from high school in his native village, and in 1958, he graduated from the philological faculty of KGU. From 1960 to 1962, he was a student at the Higher Scriptwriting Courses in Moscow.
He began his labor biography as a teacher at KGMU in 1958. Since 1963, he has been a member of the script-repertoire board of the film studio "Kyrgyzfilm", from 1968 to 1972 he served as the chief editor for cinema, and from 1975 to 1983, he was the chief editor of the united repertoire and editorial board of the Ministry of Culture of the Kyrgyz SSR.
Since 1972, he has been the chief editor of the State Cinema of the Kyrgyz SSR, and from 1984 to 1987, he was an associate professor at the B. Beishenaliev Institute of Arts.
In 1987, he was elected secretary of the board of the Union of Theatre Workers of the Republic.
B. Zhakiev entered literature in 1958 when his play "The Fate of the Father" was published, placing him among the leading Kyrgyz playwrights. In works such as "A Thousand Dreams" (1964), "The Golden Cup" (1967), "The Sentence" (1979), "And Spring Will Come" (1981), "Expectation" (1984), "Those Walking on the Burning Trail" (1986), and others, the multifaceted talent of the playwright was revealed. He is the author of several collections of plays, novellas, short stories, and screenplays. Full-length films based on B. Zhakiev's screenplays include "Heritage" (1969), "Tale of Art" (1974), and "Pursuit" (1986). He translated S. Aleshino's "The Chamber", S. Mikhalkov's "The Red Tie", B. Brecht's "Mother Courage and Her Children", and the book about the legendary Khoja Nasreddin "The Tricks of Apendi" into Kyrgyz. The writer regularly publishes literary-critical articles and reviews on issues of theatrical art, cinema, and literature.
Honored Artist of the Kyrgyz SSR (1974).
Member of the CPSU since 1975, member of the USSR Union of Writers since 1962, member of the USSR Union of Cinematographers since 1966.
Awarded a Certificate of Honor from the Supreme Council of the Kyrgyz SSR.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
in Kyrgyz
Boroonduu joldо: Novellas and plays. — Fr.: Kyrgyzstan, 1965, — 152 p. Storm on the way.
Atanyn tagdyry: Dramas. — Fr.: Kyrgyzstan, 1972. — 188 p. The Fate of the Father.
Erten zhady zhyl: Dramas. — Fr.: Kyrgyzstan, 1979. — 272 p. Tomorrow is New Year.
Men baikemden uluumun: Novellas, screenplays, and drama. — Fr.: Kyrgyzstan, 1984. — 232 p. My older brother is younger than me.
Saadak kakty: Dramas. — Fr.: Kyrgyzstan, 1987. — 400 p. The Groan of the Bowstring.
in Russian
The Golden Cup: Folk Drama. — M.: VUOAP, 1968. — 79 p.
Storm on the way. — Fr.: Mektep, 1969. — 92 p.
Kyrgyz Dramas: Collection of Plays. — Fr.: Kyrgyzstan, 1984. — 229 p.
TRANSLATIONS
The Tricks of Apendi: Tales and Myths of the Eastern Peoples. — Fr.: Mektep, 1985. — 208 p.
