Kasymbekov Tologon - People's Writer of Kyrgyzstan
Kasymbekov was born in the village of Ak-Jol in the Jani-Jol district of the Osh region to a collective farm worker's family. In 1949, he graduated from the Kara-Dzhygach Secondary School, and in 1957, he graduated from the philological faculty of KGU. He began his career as a primary school teacher in his native village. From 1951, he worked as the responsible secretary of the Kichi-Akzhol Village Council. A few years later, he became the editor of children's and youth literature at Kyrgyzuchpedgiz, and from 1960, he served as the head of the department, responsible secretary, and from 1966, as the chief editor of the magazine "AlaToo." He later became an editor at the State Publishing House of the Kyrgyz SSR and a literary consultant for prose at the Writers' Union of Kyrgyzstan. In 1987, he was elected head of the republican branch of VAAAP.
A master of historical works, Kasymbekov's first novella "Kichinekey zhylkychy" ("The Little Herdsman") was published in 1952. Subsequently, films were made based on some of his works written during his student years. In 1965, his autobiographical novella "Adam bolgum kelet" ("I Want to Be a Human") was published. Historical novels occupied a significant place in Kasymbekov's work: "Kelkel" (about the life of the Kyrgyz people before and after the October Revolution), "Baskyn" (about events in Turkestan), "Kyrgyn" (about the national liberation movement of 1916), and others. In 1959, Tologon Kasymbekov became a member of the Union of Writers of the USSR, and in 1986, he was awarded the title of People's Writer.
The writer considers his debut to be the novella "Adam bolgum kelet," published in 1960, although he had already authored two books by that time.
His most famous work, the historical novel "The Broken Sword," was written by Kasymbekov at the age of 40. It was translated into all the languages of the Soviet Union, and in 1980, into English. However, Soviet censorship often tested the author’s resilience. The greatest difficulties arose with the novels "Kelkel" and "The Broken Sword," and Kasymbekov was even labeled as a "distorter of history." Critical articles about him regularly appeared in union newspapers and magazines. The writer tracked and collected these articles, later publishing a book titled "Rukhtu kotorugun uluu so'z" ("Great Words that Uplift the Spirit").
Tologon Kasymbekov's works began to be republished after Kyrgyzstan gained sovereignty; they included parts that had previously been removed at the request of censors.
Tologon Kasymbekov actively participated in the public life of his country. From 1990 to 1994, he was a people's deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic, served as the head of the international commission on language, culture, and education, and was the chairman of the Writers' Union of Kyrgyzstan.
Tologon Kasymbekov is rightly considered one of the outstanding writers of Kyrgyzstan, having made an invaluable contribution to the spiritual development of the people. For his services to the homeland, he was awarded the high title of "Hero of the Kyrgyz Republic" in 2007. For the centenary of V. I. Lenin, Kasymbekov was awarded the medal "For Labor Valor" and a certificate of honor from the Supreme Council of the KirgSSR. In 2005, for his contribution to the development of the state language, he received the badge "Kyrgyz tili," the medal "Dank," and in 2006, he was awarded the Order of "Manas" of the I degree. In the same year, he became a laureate of the Toktogul Prize.
The writer passed away on June 17, 2011, after a prolonged illness, and was buried in the village of Koy-Tash.
