Ilyas Zhansugurov

Ilyas Zhansugurov, a writer and thinker, a classic of new Kazakh literature, belongs to the first wave of the Soviet Kazakh intelligentsia. The opportunities provided by the Soviet government to a guy from the outback and tragic events in the history of the country played a role in his fate. Ilyas Zhansugurov was born on May 1, 1894 in a distant village in the Semirechensk region. He lost his mother early; his son was raised by his father, the master and blacksmith Dzhansugur. Ilyas Zhansugurov was the editor of Kazpolitizdat from 1934 until his arrest. During this period, he actively wrote works of art. In 1937, a wave of repression arose in the country, to which, first of all, prominent representatives of the intelligentsia, party and economic workers were subjected. Based on a false denunciation, Ilyas Zhansugurov was also arrested. He was accused of creating a hostile organization, attempting to stir up a national uprising and carrying out terrorist acts. He signed a confession under torture, but did not drag any other people along with him. He was shot without trial in February 1938. The work of Ilyas Zhansugurov is diverse; a rich literary heritage remains, consisting of texts of different directions and iconic works: The poem “Steppe”, which reflects important stages in the history of Kazakhstan. Another theme — Russian-Kazakh relations — is permeated with respect for the neighboring people, with whom the author was a supporter of friendship. The famous work “Kulager” is a poem that has become a classic of Kazakh literature. Ilyas Zhansugurov dedicated “Kulager” to the poet and musician of the 19th century Akan-Sere Koramsa-uly. The work tells about a dramatic episode of his life — the death of his beloved horse. The poem became one of the most tragic works in national literature. This is the cry of the soul of the author himself, living in a period of political persecution. The writer addressed issues of raising children and wrote fairy tales for them on moral themes. He considered the aesthetic education of young people important, wrote a number of works for them, and paid attention to the creation of school textbooks. In the poems “Kui” and “Kuishi” Zhansugurov showed himself as an expert in national music. In his work, he also acted as a playwright and wrote theatrical plays. A significant place in the poet’s heritage is made up of his literary translations of classical works: poetry and prose by Heine, Pushkin, Lermontov, Nekrasov, Gorky, Mayakovsky, Hugo. After the arrest of Ilyas Zhansugurov, his works were banned, publications were seized from library collections, and the existence of the archive was threatened. But part of it was kept by a relative in a distant village. And part of the archive was discovered after death. He testified that he destroyed the documents but kept them secretly. The fate of the repressed poet was unknown to his relatives for a long time. Two decades later, in new times, Fatima Gabitova received a certificate that he was shot back in 1938. Ilyas Zhansugurov was posthumously rehabilitated in 1957, his good name was restored. The thematic shelf displays the collected works of Zhansugurov and the work of Kulager.
Head of the library Kurmangalieva K.U.