Cengiz Aytmatov: The Voice of the Turkish World in Literature
Celebrating the 15th anniversary of his death, Chingiz Aitmatov is remembered as a notable Kyrgyz author who sought to promote a common Turkish language. He was born in 1928 in the village of Şeker, Kyrgyzstan, and was the first child of a family of four. His father, Törekul Aitmatov, was accused of being an “enemy of the people” by the Stalin regime and was shot to death, leading Chingiz and his family to move to Şeker, where his grandmother and Karakız Apa told him tales, legends, and folk songs that not only fascinated him, but also healed his injured body. Chingiz’s writings were influenced by the pain and suffering he observed during World War II, which he reflected in almost all of his works. He wrote his first story, “Journalist Cyuda,” in 1952, which was published in the newspaper Pravda and paved the way for his debut story, “Cemile,” to be published in the Soviets’ literary magazine, Novy Mir (New World). The story’s popularity in the Soviet literary world of the time was subject to unfair criticism, but it caught the attention of French writer/poet Louis Aragon, who called it “the most beautiful love story in the world.” Chingiz’s works had a great impact on the world, and he was awarded the Lenin Prize for Literature in 1963. He was named the national writer of Kyrgyzstan in 1968, and in 1978 he received the “Hero of Socialist Labor” award. He also served as the Kyrgyzstan ambassador to Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium until his death on June 10, 2008. The three main elements of Chingiz Aitmatov’s writings are Kyrgyz oral tradition tales and songs, Russian and world literature, and his daily experiences, all of which converge in his philosophy of life.
