Sultanmakhmut Toraygirov ( kz, Сұлтанмахмұт Торайғыров, 29 October 1893 – 21 May 1920) was a prominent

Kazakh Kazakh, Qazaq or Kazakhstani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Kazakhstan *Kazakhs, an ethnic group *Kazakh language *The Kazakh Khanate * Kazakh cuisine * Qazakh Rayon, Azerbaijan *Qazax, Azerbaijan *Kazakh Uyezd, administrative dis ...

writer and poet. He was born in Kyzyl Tau (near the city of

Kokshetau Kokshetau (meaning ''Blueish Mountain'' in Kazakh, kz, Көкшетау, Kökşetau; ; rus, Кокшета́у, p=kokʂɛtaʊ) is a city in northern Kazakhstan and the capital of Akmola Region, which stretches along the southern shore of L ...

) but moved to Bayanaul in the province of Pavlodar at the age of four. Toraygirov wrote his first poems when only 13 years old. From 1913 on, he was the sub-editor for the first Kazakh journal ''Aikap''. In 1914 and 1915 he worked as a teacher in Bayanaul. In 1916 Toraygirov moved to

Tomsk Tomsk ( rus, Томск, p=tomsk, sty, Түң-тора) is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, located on the Tom River. Population: Founded in 1604, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. The city is a not ...

in Russia, but the next year the February Revolution made him return to

Semey Semey ( kk, Семей, Semei, سەمەي; cyrl, Семей ), until 2007 known as Semipalatinsk (russian: Семипала́тинск) and in 1917–1920 as Alash-kala ( kk, Алаш-қала, ''Alaş-qala''), is a city in eastern Kazakhst ...

, in Kazakhstan. During this time he developed his style and wrote prolifically. Toraygirov released several poem collections and his novel ''Beauty Kamar'', released posthumously in 1933, was one of the first

Kazakh language The Kazakh or simply Qazaq ( Latin: or , Cyrillic: or , Arabic Script: or , , ) is a Turkic language of the Kipchak branch spoken in Central Asia by Kazakhs. It is closely related to Nogai, Kyrgyz and Karakalpak. It is the official lang ...

novels. He was very active politically, advocating both Kazakh national interests and the new

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

ideals. Toraygirov died in 1920 at the age of 26. The state university in

Pavlodar Pavlodar ( ; ) is a city in northeastern Kazakhstan and the capital of Pavlodar Region. It is located 450 km northeast of the national capital Astana and 405 km southeast of the Russian city of Omsk along the Irtysh River. , the c ...

and lake Toraigyr are named after Toraygirov.

Notable works

* Poem ''Life in Confusion'' published in 1922 * Poem ''Poor man'' (russian: "Бедняк") published in 1922 * Novel ''Beauty Kamar'' (russian: "Красавица Камар") published in 1933

Poems

* ''What is the purpose of study?'' (russian: "Что за цель в учении?") * ''Religion'' (russian: "Религия") * ''Education'' (russian: "Учение") * ''Blind Monk'' (russian: "Слепой монах") * ''Sarybas'' ( kz, "Сарыбас") (1913–1914) * ''Fate'' (russian: "Судьба") * ''Ayt'' ( kz, "Айт") * ''Summer Camp''(russian: "На кочевку") * ''Poverty'' (russian: "Бедность") * ''Belief in God'' (russian: "Вера в бога") * ''Speckled Khoja'' (russian: "Рябой ходжа")

External links

Biography of Sultanmahmut Toraygirov in Russian
1893 births 1920 deaths 20th-century poets Kazakh-language poets Kazakh-language writers Kazakhstani Muslims People from Akmola Region Soviet writers Writers from the Russian Empire {{Kazakhstan-bio-stub