Journalist, publicist, and literary critic Kymbatbek Ukaev (1932-1989) was born in the village of Dzhanay-Alysh in the Kemin district of Chui region. From 1948 to 1952, he studied at the Kyrgyz Pedagogical Institute. From 1952 to 1954, he was in graduate school. In 1954, he began working at the editorial office of the magazine "Soviet Kyrgyzstan" as the head of the criticism and bibliography department. Since 1955, he served as a literary consultant for the Union of Writers of Kyrgyzstan, then as an editor at Kirgosizdat, and as a senior editor of children's literature at the "Mektep" publishing house. From 1963 to 1983, he worked for almost twenty years at the editorial office of the newspaper "Soviet Kyrgyzstan," first as the head of the literature and art department, then as deputy editor.
In 1983, K. Ukaev was appointed editor-in-chief of the magazine "Ala-Too," and in 1986, he became the editor-in-chief of the magazine "Chalkan." He began writing and publishing while still a student. While in graduate school, he published several literary-critical articles that attracted the attention of the public. He then wrote a series of articles on pressing issues in Kyrgyz literature, characterized by depth of critical analysis, originality, and freshness of thought, as well as a high professional level. His books "Life and Song," "The Power of Words," and "The Downpour of Verse" made a significant contribution to the development of literary-critical thought.
With his transition to work at the republican newspaper, K. Ukaev successfully worked in journalism as well. He authored numerous essays, sharp problem-oriented publicistic articles, and satirical works, which earned him recognition as one of the leading journalists in the republic. His article "Imaginary Honor Will Not Lead to Good" received wide public resonance in Kyrgyzstan. It was discussed in many labor collectives and among local residents. The article raised a significant principled question about the conduct of ash-tois and other customs and traditions that incur excessively high material costs. For this article, the author received an award from the Union of Journalists of the USSR. K. Ukaev's journalistic works were later compiled into collections of essays and publicistics: "The Road Calls," "The Will of Time," "The Russian Word," "Routes," and others.
K. Ukaev was also known as a translator. He translated works of Kazakh literature into Kyrgyz, including M. Auezov's novella "The Hard Times," K. Abdykadyrov's "Hero Azhymukan," A. Nurpeisov's trilogy "Blood and Sweat," as well as D. Swift's novel "Gulliver's Travels," among others.
