The journalist and writer Aytkulu Ubukeev (1905-1973) is widely known to the Kyrgyz reader as an essayist, satirist, and prose writer. He was born in the village of Kerege-Tash in the Ak-Suu district of the Issyk-Kul region. He is the author of more than two hundred essays and feuilletons, and his pen produced eleven books.
A. Ubukeev was a representative of the oldest generation of journalists in Kyrgyzstan and one of the pioneers of professional literary criticism. Since 1925, he worked as a literary staff member for the first Kyrgyz newspaper "Erkin-Too." He was one of the initiators of the publication of the youth newspaper "Leninchil Zhas." In the editorial office of this newspaper, he served as the responsible secretary and later as its editor. From 1930 to 1932, A. Ubukeev edited three newspapers in southern Kyrgyzstan: a Kyrgyz one ("Kyzyl Pakhtachy"), a Russian one ("Rabochiy Pamirstroya"), and an Uzbek one ("Kommunist"). In the pre-war years, he was the editor of the republican newspaper "Sotsialisticheskoe Zhivotnovodstvo" and the magazine "Kommunist." Additionally, A. Ubukeev was the initiator of the creation of the satirical magazine "Chalkan" ("Nettle"). In 1954, he became the responsible secretary of this magazine, and from 1955 to 1965, he served as its chief editor.
A talented journalist and writer, A. Ubukeev is the author of collections of essays, feuilletons, and stories such as "Radost" (Joy), "Koychuman" (The Shepherd), "Bogatsvo" (Wealth), "Puteshestvie" (Journey), "Devushka-dzhigit" (Girl-Jigit), "Nelegko stat' chelovekom" (It's Not Easy to Become a Human), the novella "Syn Arnamyza" (Son of Arnamyza), and the novel "Chyr-Dobo."
The famous Kyrgyz poet and playwright Jusup Turusbekov (1910-1943) was born in the village of Kun-Batys in the Ton district of the Issyk-Kul region. After graduating from the Issyk-Kul Agricultural Technical School in 1927, he moved to Frunze and got a job at the editorial office of the newspaper "Kyzyl Kyrgyzstan" first as a proofreader and then as a copyist. Two years later, he went to study in the Russian city of Tver and enrolled in a Soviet-party school. After graduating, J. Turusbekov worked as the head of the department at the editorial office of the newspaper "Kyzyl Kyrgyzstan," as the chief editor of the newspaper "Leninchil Zhas," and as an editor at Kirgosizdat. In his journalistic and literary works, he celebrated the joy and fruits of the free labor of workers, peasants, and intelligentsia in his mountainous homeland. At the beginning of the war, he wrote dozens of journalistic articles and poems condemning the treacherous actions of the Hitlerite invaders in the Soviet country. In 1943, the talented journalist and poet died on the front lines fighting against the fascists.
At the same time, the future national writer, academician, and first People's Hero of the Kyrgyz Republic Tugelbai Sydykbekov (1912-1997) worked at the editorial office of the newspaper "Leninchil Zhas." He was born in the village of Ken-Suu in the Tyup district of the Issyk-Kul region. From 1928 to 1930, he studied at the Frunze Agricultural Technical School, then entered the Central Asian Zoo-Veterinary Institute in Ashgabat. Due to health issues, he could not continue his studies at the institute, and after returning to Frunze, he worked for several years as the head of the rural youth department at the editorial office of the newspaper "Leninchil Zhas." Later, due to illness, he had to leave the editorial office and focused exclusively on his writing career. However, he never ceased his active collaboration with the editorial offices of newspapers and magazines, as well as radio and television. Throughout his long creative life, he wrote several hundred reports, essays, journalistic articles, and reviews, and numerous interviews and discussions on various literary and social topics were published with his participation. In the creative legacy of this great master of words, besides major prose works, special attention is given to collections of essays and journalism: "Uroki Zhizni" (Lessons of Life), "Shestero iz Ala-Too" (Six from Ala-Too), "Abysyndar" (Sisters-in-law), "Nakhodki" (Findings), and many others.
Here is a small excerpt from an essay by the remarkable master of words Tugelbai Sydykbekov about the twice Hero of Socialist Labor, the famous beet grower of the republic Surakan Kainazarova:
“... Love came unnoticed, real, strong. Life was good with a good person, even though need constantly pursued them. And one day Surakan said: ‘No, husband, this cannot continue, let’s go to the Russians, to the Chui Valley.’ Imanaly agreed. Soon Surakan became famous as the most nimble and tireless reaper. It was hard work—back then there were no combines, they harvested wheat with sickles.
‘Shirp! Shirp!’ - is heard over the field. There was even no time to wipe the sweat... Imanaly and Surakan did not miss the moonlit nights...
And soon the land and water passed into the hands of the poor, the destitute began to unite into collective farms. Among the first were Surakan and Imanaly...”
