Kasymaly Bayalinov (1902-1979) was born in the Kok-Moynok area of the current Ton district of the Issyk-Kul region. He is among the oldest Kyrgyz journalists and writers, pioneers of republican journalism and written literature. In 1919, K. Bayalinov went to Tashkent for a six-month regional Soviet-party course, after which he actively participated in the development of the youth movement in the republic, notably creating the first Komsomol organizations in At-Bashi, Kochkorka, and other ails of what is now Naryn region. From 1920 to 1925, he was a student at the Almaty Pedagogical Institute. After his studies, he initially worked as the editor of the Kyrgyz section of the Central Publishing House in Moscow, and later as the chief editor of the state publishing house of the republic.
In 1928, K. Bayalinov entered the All-Union Institute of Journalism in Moscow, graduating in 1933. He worked as an editor for the Jetty-Oguz MTS newspaper, and then as an editor at Kirgospizdat. During the Great Patriotic War, he edited the Issyk-Kul regional newspaper "Ysyk-Kel Pravdasy," and later the republican literary magazine "Sovettik Kyrgyzstan." K. Bayalinov constantly engaged in socio-political work, and after the war, he led the republican writers' organization for a long time. The journalist-writer's publicist speeches were characterized by great political sharpness and precise targeting. His pamphlet "Some Proposals to Mr. Pointon," infused with patriotic pathos and passionate civic conviction, received a wide response far beyond our homeland. This was an open letter to the British delegate in the UN General Assembly's Trusteeship Committee, first published in Russian in "Literaturnaya Gazeta" on October 11, 1947, and then in 1948 in Kyrgyz in the first issue of "Sovettik Kyrgyzstan." The publicist convincingly exposed the statements of the British delegate in an authoritative international organization, who claimed that the peoples in the Soviet republics were in the same situation as the peoples of Britain's colonial countries. This pamphlet by K. Bayalinov was long considered the first swallow and a model of Kyrgyz international journalism. K. Bayalinov is the author of numerous journalistic works, remarkable stories, novellas, and novels, and later he was awarded the honorary title of People's Writer of Kyrgyzstan.
Kalim Rakhmatullin (1903-1946) was born in the city of Tokmok in the Pishpek district. From 1923 to 1925, he studied at the workers' faculty of the Central Asian State University, and then at the university itself. From 1925 to 1927, he worked at the Central Asian Bureau of the Central Committee of the VKP(b), and was later transferred to Kyrgyzstan as head of the press department of the Kyrgyz Oblast Committee of the Party. From 1931 to 1935, he served as the responsible editor of the republican newspaper "Kyzyl Kyrgyzstan," then as the director of Kirgospizdat, and as a teacher and head of the department at the Kyrgyz Pedagogical Institute. From 1941 to 1946, he was the editor of the Kirgospizdat department and a senior researcher at the Institute of Language, Literature, and History of the Kyrgyz branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
K. Rakhmatullin made a significant contribution to the formation and development of Kyrgyz literary criticism and journalism. He wrote many publicist articles and literary studies, as well as several textbooks for schools. Among them are: "The Great Patriot - the Legendary Manas," "An Outline of the History of Kyrgyz Literature," "The Kyrgyz People in the Struggle for Their Homeland," and others. The talented publicist worked particularly fruitfully during the Great Patriotic War. His book "The Great Patriot - the Legendary Manas" was published in Russian in 1943. In collaboration with writer T. Sydykbekov, he wrote the play "Manas and Almambet," which was performed in republican theaters during the war. His literary and publicist articles "Early Poems of Aala," "The People's Akyn Alymkul," "The Creative Path of Joomart," and others are still studied by creative youth as examples of sincere respect and gratitude for talent and selfless service to their people and homeland.
A vivid example of how almost all well-known journalists and writers took their first creative steps in youth as rural and working correspondents is the life path of the people's poet and prominent public figure Kubanychbek Malikov (1911-1978). He was born in the village of Uch-Emchek in the Kant district of the Chui region. His childhood and youth were spent in the village of Tokoldosh near Pishpek. In 1926, he graduated from a rural primary school, and in 1934, he graduated from a pedagogical technical school in the city of Frunze. While studying in school and in the technical school, K. Malikov actively collaborated with the editorial offices of the newspapers "Leninchil Zhash" and "Kyzyl Kyrgyzstan," and the magazine "Kommunist" as a freelance correspondent. Even his early reports were distinguished by their relevance and timeliness. He responded to the most important events in the life of the young republic. His letters and reports told of new phenomena in the lives of rural residents, the aspirations of young men and women for education and various professions, the liberation of Kyrgyz women from feudal-tribal shackles, the struggle against other remnants of the past in people's consciousness, and the land-water reform and its role in transforming agriculture.
During his studies at the pedagogical technical school, K. Malikov actively participated in the work of the student literary circle and collaborated in the manuscript magazine "Ptenzy." All this influenced his confident continuation of journalistic activity in the editorial offices of republican newspapers after graduating from the technical school: he worked as the deputy editor of the youth newspaper "Leninchil Zhash," the responsible secretary of the editorial office of the newspaper "Kyzyl Kyrgyzstan," and as the editor of the magazine "Sovettik Kyrgyzstan."
The long-term fruitful journalistic and publicist activity of K. Malikov is vividly evidenced by the bibliography of his work in the book "Writers of Soviet Kyrgyzstan," published during his lifetime. In the section "Articles, Reviews, Essays," there are 59 titles of his newspaper and magazine publications in Kyrgyz and 32 titles in Russian. He frequently appeared on radio and television. In addition, he published collections of publicist articles and essays: "The Tale of Happiness," "Blood for Blood," "Leningrad During the War," "From the Valley of Jaiylchy," "On the Banks of the Chui Canal," "Meeting on the Shore of the Lake," "My Contemporaries and Fellow Writers," and others.
Below is an excerpt from K. Malikov's essay "The Young Tribe," published in the newspaper "Soviet Kyrgyzstan" in 1934:
“When the sun rose above the gardens and warmed the streets of Karakol, Sultan left for the whole day from the angry teahouse owner. He stopped at the clover market, sat down by the ditch with the murky water. After a dry crust of bread, he wanted to drink. And he lay for a long time on the bank of the ditch, occasionally leaning down to the cold stream.
After resting, Sultan stepped over the ditch and went to the carts that had come from the auls and villages. Near one cart sat a farmer having breakfast. Sultan smelled the delicious scent of bread from afar and, stepping silently, approached the farmer, silently extending his dry little hand.
Alybay barely recognized in this dirty little stray the son of his distant relative, who had left his native aul Taldysuu in hopes of finding food for his hungry family. Alybay sat Sultan next to him, and this unexpected warmth touched the boy. Sultan, long unaccustomed to tears, now cried so bitterly as if this kind uncle Alybay had inflicted the most bitter insult on him by breaking off a large piece of bread and urging him to eat.”
