Raisa Kydyrbaeva was born on November 30, 1930, in the city of Frunze. In 1952, she graduated with honors from the Philological Faculty of Kyrgyz State University. From 1953 to 1956, she studied in the graduate program at the A. M. Gorky Institute of World Literature, where she defended her candidate dissertation in Philological Sciences in 1956. In 1983, she was awarded the degree of Doctor of Sciences, and in 1997, she received the title of Professor. In 1989, Raisa Zaitovna became a corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic.
From 1986 to 2025, she worked at the Ch. Aitmatov Institute of Literature under the National Academy of Sciences, holding leading positions, including head of the "Manas" department and chief researcher.
In her work "Tradition and Individuality in the Epic of 'Manas'," Kydyrbaeva explored the poetics of the epic, considering it in the context of a broad spatial-temporal spectrum, rather than just individual plots.
Among her significant works are the monographs "Ideological and Artistic Features of the Epic 'Sarinji Bökoy'," "Poetic Traditions of the Epic 'Zhangyl Myrza'," "Performing Mastery of Manaschi," "Variants of the Epic 'Manas'," "Epochs, Generations, and Manaschi," and others. In total, Raisa Zaitovna is the author of 16 scientific monographs and over 200 articles.
In 1988, she also served as a scientific consultant for the documentary film by M. Ubukeev "The Great Manaschi."
Kydyrbaeva was an outstanding scientific figure who had an invaluable impact on the development of Kyrgyz folklore studies and literary studies. Under her guidance, 22 candidates and 4 doctors of sciences defended their dissertations, and her scientific school was recognized both in Kyrgyzstan and beyond.
In 1998, for her active participation in the creation of the "Encyclopedia of 'Manas'," she was awarded the State Prize of the Kyrgyz Republic in the field of science and technology as part of a team of leading scholars.
Raisa Zaitovna actively participated in the development of both state and international programs, and made a significant contribution to the preparation of the nomination file for the inclusion of the art of Kyrgyz akyns in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. She also participated in the formation of legislation related to the epic trilogy "Manas. Semetei. Seitek," and the scientific policy of the country.
For many years, Kydyrbaeva actively participated in the life of the scientific community of folklorists and was also a member of the dissertation council for the specialties "Folklore Studies" and "Literary Studies."
"Her rich scientific legacy, high human qualities, and contribution to the development of science will forever live in the memory of the Kyrgyz people. We express our deep condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the deceased," states the obituary signed by several prominent scholars and colleagues, including A. Kasymaliev, A. Koichiev, E. Baisalov, and others.
