Abish Kekilbayev
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Abish Kekilbayev (, , ; 6 December 1939 – 11 December 2015), was a Kazakh public and political figure, Hero of Labour of Kazakhstan (2009), People’s Writer of Kazakhstan (1992), and Honored Cultural Worker of the Kyrgyz Republic (1995). He is a laureate of the State Prize, a philologist, and an academician of the Academy of Social Sciences. He also holds the title of Honorary Professor at both Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. Served as a Senator of Kazakhstan from 2002 to 2010,
State Secretary of Kazakhstan The State Counsellor of the Republic of Kazakhstan (; ), formerly the State Secretary of Kazakhstan (; ), is an appointed post under the direct supervision of the president of Kazakhstan. The state counsellor develops proposals for the president ...
from 1996 to 2002, and the Supreme Council Chairman from 1994 until its dissolution in 1995. During the Soviet period, Kekilbayev worked as literary writer in which his work have become a noticeable phenomenon in the literary life of Kazakhstan. He served as the Deputy Minister of Culture of the
Kazakh SSR The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Kazakhstan, the Kazakh SSR, KSSR, or simply Kazakhstan, was one of the transcontinental constituent republics of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Located in northern Centr ...
, the second secretary of Board of the Union of Writers, the head of department of the Central Committee of
Communist Party of Kazakhstan The Communist Party of Kazakhstan (, ) is a banned Marxist–Leninist political party in Kazakhstan. History Origin The Communist Party of Kazakhstan was founded 1936, when Kazakhstan was granted a Union Republic status within the Sovie ...
, Head of the Records Office for Culture and Inter-Ethnic Relations of the Kazakh SSR Presidential Administration, the editor-in-chief of the ''
Egemen Qazaqstan ''Egemen Qazaqstan'' (, , ''Sovereign Kazakhstan'') is a government-owned Kazakh language newspaper published from Kazakhstan. It was first published on 17 December 1919. The newspaper was started by the Ministry of Information and Public Accord ...
'' newspaper, the literary employee of the ''Qazaq adebiety'' newspaper, the head of literature and art department of the Leninshyl jas newspaper editorial office. Throughout his life Kekilbayev was recognized with several awards and titles such as Hero of Labour (firstier kazakh writer and man, which with this award) National Writer of Kazakhstan, laureate of the State Prize, a philologist, academician of the Academy of Social Sciences, Emeritus Professor of
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (), also called KazNU or KazGU, is a national research university located in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Named after philosopher and scholar al-Farabi, it is one of the country's largest universities. KazNU is Kaza ...
and of the L. Gumilyov Eurasian State University. Nickname – Abish Tagan.


Early life and career

Born in the village of Ondy, Kekilbayev graduated from the philological faculty of the
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (), also called KazNU or KazGU, is a national research university located in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Named after philosopher and scholar al-Farabi, it is one of the country's largest universities. KazNU is Kaza ...
in 1962. He then began his career as a literary employee of the newspaper ''Qazaq adebieti.'' From 1963 to 1965, he was the head of the department of literature and art of the editorial office of the ''Leninshil jas'' newspaper. Then he worked in the repertoire and editorial board of the Kazakh SSR Ministry of Culture. In the period from 1968 to 1970, Kekilbayev served in the Central Asian Military District in the ranks of the
Soviet Army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...
. During his service, he took part in the
border conflict Borders are generally defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
near
Lake Zhalanashkol Lake Zhalanashkol (, literally "Bare Lake", or "Exposed Lake"; ) is a freshwater lake in the eastern part of Kazakhstan, on the border of Almaty Province (Alakol District) and East Kazakhstan Province (Urzhar District). It is the smallest out of ...
between Soviet border guards and Chinese military personnel. After joining the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of Kazakhstan The Communist Party of Kazakhstan (, ) is a banned Marxist–Leninist political party in Kazakhstan. History Origin The Communist Party of Kazakhstan was founded 1936, when Kazakhstan was granted a Union Republic status within the Sovie ...
in 1975, Kekilbaev published a number of essays in the spirit of communist propaganda. When discussing the new
1977 Constitution of the Soviet Union The 1977 Constitution of the Soviet Union, officially the Constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, was adopted on 7 October 1977. The 1977 Constitution, also known as the ''Brezhnev Constitution'' or the ''Constitution of Deve ...
, he instead criticized the
Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...
in the newspaper '' Socialist Kazakhstan'' where Kekilbaev wrote saying "Soviet people understand the draft of the new Constitution of the USSR as a new achievement of human thought in the persistent struggle for justice, as a new contribution to the consistent teaching of Marxism-Leninism." For the next five years, Kekilbayev was the chief editor of the script of the board of the Kazakhfilm Aimanov film studio. In this work, Kekilbayev put a lot of effort, effort and creative inspiration into the creation of screen versions of ''Kok Serik'' and ''Shot at the Kara Pass'' by
Mukhtar Auezov Mukhtar Omarkhanuli Auezov (, Мұхтар Омарханұлы Әуезов, مۇحتار ومارحانۇلى اۋەزوۆ, ; , ''Mukhtar Omarkhanovich Auezov;'' 28 September 1897 – 27 June 1961) was a Kazakh people, Kazakh writer, a social ...
and other films, which are mutually recognized by Kazakh and Kyrgyz filmmakers as joint screen works. With his direct participation at this studio, films such ''Qyz Jibek'', ''The End of the Ataman'', ''Kok Serik'', ''Trans-Siberian Express'' and others, rightfully included in the golden fund of Kazakh cinematography and in the history of world cinema were created. By that time, Kekilbayev for a number of years was in charge of the fiction sector of the culture department of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of Kazakhstan The Communist Party of Kazakhstan (, ) is a banned Marxist–Leninist political party in Kazakhstan. History Origin The Communist Party of Kazakhstan was founded 1936, when Kazakhstan was granted a Union Republic status within the Sovie ...
. While working as the Kazakh SSR Deputy Minister, he put a lot of effort and effort into the construction of the
Central State Museum of Kazakhstan The Central State Museum of Kazakhstan () is the largest museum in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and one of the largest museums in Central Asia.
, the Central Concert Hall and other cultural objects that significantly enriched the spiritual life and architectural appearance of Alma-Ata. Working as the second secretary of the board of the Writers' Union of Kazakhstan, he carefully identified and nurtured a young creative shift of writers. Many of which are the pride of Kazakh literature today. He was twice elected a member of the board of the
Union of Soviet Writers The Union of Soviet Writers, USSR Union of Writers, or Soviet Union of Writers () was a creative union of professional writers in the Soviet Union. It was founded in 1934 on the initiative of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (1932) a ...
, was elected a member of the international committee of Afro-Asian writers, a member of the jury of the Lotus international writers' prize, a member of the board of the Khudozhestvennaya literatura and Friendship of Peoples central book publishing houses. A fruitful period of his life was also the years when he was the chairman of the Presidium of the Central Council of the Kazakh Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, and headed the department of interethnic relations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. During this period, thanks to the knowledge and efforts of Kekilbaev, historical monuments of Kazakhstan such as in
Turkistan Turkestan,; ; ; ; also spelled Turkistan, is a historical region in Central Asia corresponding to the regions of Transoxiana and East Turkestan (Xinjiang). The region is located in the northwest of modern day China and to the northwest of its ...
, Sayram,
Otrar Otrar or Otyrar ( ; ), also called Farab, is a Central Asian ghost town that was a city located along the Silk Road in Kazakhstan. Otrar was an important town in the history of Central Asia, situated on the borders of settled and agricultural civ ...
,
Taraz Taraz ( ; also historically known as Talas) is a city and the administrative center of Jambyl Region in Kazakhstan, located on the Talas (river), Talas (Taraz) River in the south of the country near the border with Kyrgyzstan. It had a populatio ...
, Mangystau, Shubartau,
Atyrau Atyrau (, ; , ; ), known until 1991 as Guryev (), is a city in Kazakhstan and the capital of Atyrau Region. Atyrau is a transcontinental city, at the mouth of the Ural River on the Caspian Sea, between Europe and Asia, west of Almaty and east o ...
gained worldwide fame. They were included in the route of the Silk Road expedition organized with the support of
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
. Kekilbaev enjoyed great authority and respect, deserved recognition of his colleagues and the general public, being the head of the referent for culture and interethnic relations of the Office of the President of the Kazakh SSR.


Political career


Member of the Supreme Council and Mazhilis (1990–1996)

In
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
, Kekilbayev was elected as deputy of the
Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR The Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR (; ), also known as the Supreme Council, was a supreme organ of republican power of Kazakhstan, then known as the Kazakh SSR, one of the republics comprising the Soviet Union. The Supreme Soviet was the only g ...
of the 12th Convocation from the Bayanaul electoral district No. 166 of Pavlodar region (having gained 52.6% of the votes, defeated two rivals), he headed the Committee on National Policy, Development of Culture and Language. With his direct participation, the Laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On the press and other mass media", "On the protection and use of historical and cultural heritage", "On freedom of religion and religious associations" and others were prepared and adopted. From April 1994 through May 1995, he was the Chairman of the 13th
Supreme Council of Kazakhstan The Supreme Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan () was a unicameral legislative branch in Kazakhstan that existed from 1993 to 1995. The Supreme Council succeeded the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR after the new Constitution of Kazakhstan wa ...
which put the prerequisites of further development of parliamentarianism in Kazakhstan. Kekilbayev noted that:
"The creation of professional Parliament can be called without any stretch, one of the biggest events in the socio-political life of this year. Undoubtedly, his its work will enter the Kazakh historic calendar as one of the notable milestones in formation of new statehood and democracy… We have never had a professional Parliament and we have to act by the method of trials and errors… Gradually goes the crystallization of powers of the Supreme Soviet, possessing new status."
On the eve of Kazakhstan independence, Kekilbayev addressed the issues of Kazakh language, onomastics, national history, socio-cultural aspects and international relations. In May 1995, Kekilbayev was appointed State Advisor to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In December 1995. he was elected as a member of the 1st Mazhilis. From there, he served as chairman of the Committee on International Affairs, Defense and Security. In an interview published in 1995 in the Yegemen Qazaqstan newspaper, Kekilbayev told that "I would not have come into politics if I were not a writer. I would not be an artist, I would not become a fighter. The problems that made me think as an artist are the problems that make me think as a citizen. How can I give up the opportunity to solve problems in real life when I solved them in an imaginary world?"


Later political career (1996–2010)

From 30 October 1996 to 29 January 2002, Kekilbayev served as
State Secretary of Kazakhstan The State Counsellor of the Republic of Kazakhstan (; ), formerly the State Secretary of Kazakhstan (; ), is an appointed post under the direct supervision of the president of Kazakhstan. The state counsellor develops proposals for the president ...
. In 2002, he was an advisor to President
Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev (born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakhstani politician who served as the first president of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019. He also held the special title of Elbasy from 2010 to 2022 and chairman of the Security Council of ...
. That same year, Kekilbayev was appointed member of the
Senate of Kazakhstan The Senate of Kazakhstan (, ''Қазақстан Парламентінің Сенаты'', ) is the upper house of two chambers in Kazakhstan's legislature, known as the Parliament (''Parlamenti''). The Senate is composed of elected members: ...
and served in the Senate's 2nd, 3rd and 4th convocations. During his term, he became a member of the Asar
political faction A political faction is a group of people with a common political purpose, especially a subgroup of a political party that has interests or opinions different from the rest of the political party. Intragroup conflict between factions can lead to ...
in the
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
in 2004, a party led by Nazarbayev's daughter Dariga. When explained his decision, Kekilbayev responded saying “I became a member not of the Asar party, but of its faction. My goal is to bring real benefits in life and society through lawmaking, the direction of the Asar party is most consistent with this goal." While working as a Senator, Kekilbayev was a member of National Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the
Assembly of People of Kazakhstan The Assembly of People of Kazakhstan () is a national political body in Kazakhstan consisting of delegates of the Regional Assemblies of the People. Its task is to represent the various ethnic groups that make up the Central Asian state at nation ...
, Organization of the Central Asian States as well as member of the group of cooperation with the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
,
House of Councillors of Japan The is the upper house of the National Diet of Japan. The House of Representatives (Japan), House of Representatives is the lower house. The House of Councillors is the successor to the pre-war House of Peers (Japan), House of Peers. If the t ...
, and
Croatian Parliament The Croatian Parliament () or the Sabor is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Croatia. Under the terms of the Constitution of Croatia, Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the nation, people and is vested with legislative power. ...
. In 2009, during the opening of the Qazaq Eli monument in front of the Palace of Independence, Kekilbaev praised Nazarbayev saying “our genius people know to whom they entrust their fate. The first president is a special president. The central figure of the white marble monument may well become the first president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who is a symbol of our past filled with heroism, filled with the creation of today, full of bold undertakings of tomorrow." On 11 March 2010, Kekilbayev was removed from the post as a Senator by the Decree.


Bibliography

Kekilbayev translated several renowned works into Kazakh, including
Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, celebrated as a master of the short story, as well as a representative of the naturalist school, depicting human lives, destinies and s ...
's ''
Pierre et Jean ''Pierre and Jean'' () is a naturalist or psycho-realist work written by Guy de Maupassant in Étretat in his native Normandy between June and September 1887. This was Maupassant's shortest novel. It appeared in three installments in the Nouvel ...
'' and '' Une vie'',
Chingiz Aitmatov Chinghiz Torekulovich Aitmatov (12 December 1928 – 10 June 2008) was a Kyrgyz author who wrote mainly in Russian, but also in Kyrgyz. He is one of the best known figures in Kyrgyzstan's literature. Life He was born to a Kyrgyz father and Tat ...
's ''Cranes Fly Early'', and contributed to the translation of
Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using Reforms of Russian orthography#The post-revolution re ...
's ''
War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the work comprises both a fictional narrative and chapters in which Tolstoy discusses history and philosophy. An ...
'' and
Ivan Bunin Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin ( or ; rus, Ива́н Алексе́евич Бу́нин, p=ɪˈvan ɐlʲɪkˈsʲejɪvʲɪdʑ ˈbunʲɪn, a=Ivan Alyeksyeyevich Bunin.ru.vorb.oga;  – 8 November 1953)King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...
'' and ''
Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...
'' by
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
, '' Princess Turandot'' by
Carlo Gozzi __NOTOC__ Carlo, Count Gozzi (; 13 December 1720 – 4 April 1806) was an Italian ( Venetian) playwright and champion of ''Commedia dell'arte''. Early life Gozzi was born and died in Venice; he came from a family of minor Venetian aristocracy, t ...
, ''On the Night of the Lunar Eclipse'' by
Mustai Karim Mustai Karim (; born Mustafa Safich Karimov, ; 20 October 1919 – 21 September 2005) was a Bashkirs, Bashkir Soviet poet, writer and playwright. He was named People's Poet of the Bashkir ASSR (1963), Hero of Socialist Labour (1979), and winner ...
, Don Juan oder Die Liebe zur Geometrie by
Max Frisch Max Rudolf Frisch (; 15 May 1911 – 4 April 1991) was a Swiss playwright and novelist. Frisch's works focused on problems of identity (social science), identity, individuality, Moral responsibility, responsibility, morality, and political commi ...
, and ''Ghosts'' by
Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...
to Kazakh audiences, many of which became part of Kazakh theatre repertoires. As an author, Kekilbayev published the poetry collection ''Golden Rays'' (1963) and story collections such as ''A Flock of Cloud'' (1966) and ''Steppe Ballades'' (1968). His essays and articles include ''Face to Face with Time'', ''Cranes'', ''Snow in March'', ''The Ballades of the Forgotten Years'', ''The End of a Legend'', and ''Pleiades – Constellations of Hopes''. Kekilbayev's ''Ballad of Forgotten Years'' was translated into English and published by
Stacey International Stacey International is an independent publisher based at Catherine Place, in London. Founded in 1974 by Tom Stacey, the company aims to "maintain a resolute tradition of adaptive and imaginative publishing". The 1930s books were updated in 2010 b ...
(London, UK). This prose ballad, written in a bardic style, reflects the ancient rivalry between Kazakh and Turkmen nomads across the endless steppe, capturing their struggles over pasture, livestock, and occasionally, women.


Honours

Kekilbayev was honored with the Order of Nazarbayev and the
Order of Fatherland The Order of Otan ( Kazakh: ''Отан ордені'', trans. ''Otan ordeni'', ''Order of the Fatherland'') is one of the highest orders of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The order is usually awarded to citizens for the following, but there have been ...
in recognition of his significant contributions to the development of Kazakhstan. On the eve of
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
in 2009, President
Nursultan Nazarbayev Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev (born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakhstani politician who served as the first president of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019. He also held the special title of Elbasy from 2010 to 2022 and chairman of the Security Council of ...
conferred upon Kekilbayev the highest state title, Qazaqstannyn Enbek Eri (Hero of Labour of Kazakhstan), for his outstanding services to the nation, his contributions to culture and literature, and his active public engagement. The head of state personally presented this prestigious title during a solemn event celebrating Kekilbayev's 70th birthday. Nazarbayev remarked that Kekilbayev’s literary achievements, political involvement, and public service reflect a profound contribution to strengthening Kazakhstan's independence, building a new state, and cultivating a high spiritual life within society.


Kazakhstan

*Hero of Labour, 2009 *Orden Otan *Orden of the First President - Nursultan Nazarbayev * Astana Medal *Medal "10 Years of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan" *Medal "10th Anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan" *Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Railway of Kazakhstan" *Medal "10 Years of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan" *Medal "10 Years of the City of Astana" *Medal "20 Years of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan" *Medal "20th Anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan"


Soviet Union

*
Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour () was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding achievements in sports, production, scientific research and socia ...
, 1981


References


Қазақстанның ашық кітапханасындағы Әбіш Кекілбайұлының шығармалары

Link to official web-site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kekilbayev, Abish 1939 births 2015 deaths Al-Farabi Kazakh National University alumni Academic staff of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University Government ministers of Kazakhstan 20th-century Kazakhstani male writers 20th-century Kazakhstani writers Members of the Senate of Kazakhstan