The day lasts more than a hundred years.

The story of a great Kazakh- Kirgiz novelist Chingis Aitmatov.

Written by: Tomiris Kamitova

Chingis Aitmatov was a Kyrgyz novelist and diplomat. He was born on December 12, 1928, in Sheker, a small village in the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic, and passed away on June 10, 2008, in Nuremberg, Germany.

In 1946 Aitmatov began his studies at the Animal Husbandry Division of the Kirgiz Agricultural Institute in Frunze, later on, he switched to studying at Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow. His early work included writing for the Pravda newspaper. As time passed, Aimatov developed writing skills, allowing him to start writing his own works.

Aitmatov's literary career began in the 1950s, and he soon became one of the most prominent writers in the Soviet Union. As the common language was

Russian, Aimatov centered his work in writing on Russian, but occasionally Kazakh and Kyrgyz. Soon later being regarded as one of the remarkable authors of the Soviet era.

The unique element of Aimatov's work was that he was a master of storytelling, his work often combined aspects of folklore, myth, and contemporary politics. The primary inspiration for many of his works came directly from his life and his memories of childhood and family, including his little brothers and his children as well as grandchildren. The time they spent in summer in Sheker as children and the life he experienced with his growing family in Moscow. Spending his time back in his home city gave him an opportunity to recreate many Kazakh and Kyrgyz oral tales in contemporary life of his novels, referring to myths and legends.

Aimatovs first work was 'The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years'. A poetic legend about a young captive, a tragic allegory, and a significant symbolic expression of the novel's philosophy. Where he describes the infinite beauty and galactic space of the Great Steppe, the novel's beauty is that it illustrates the worst of all conceivable and unthinkable human crimes, according to the author, the taking away of memory from a living person. The same applies to people forgetting their cultural traditions, which inevitably leads to death.

Chinghiz Aitmatov, throughout his career, wrote many exceptional novels: The white Ship, Jamila, Plakha, Mother Earth, Farewell, Gulsary! And many more. The novel that indeed showed Aitmatov's capabilities as a writer despite already having written many significant novels is Jamila. A love story of a woman who goes against her traditional family to be with the man she loves. While reading the novel, Aitmatov will carry the reader across the beauty of the Kazakh steppe, weaving a story of love, sadness, hope, tradition, and war. A famous French poet Louis Aragon described the novel as the world's most beautiful love story.

Aitmatov's work has been widely recognized and translated into many languages across the globe. Aitmatov received praise and numerous literacy awards like the Lenin Prize, the State Prize of the USSR, and the Order of Lenin.

Unfortunately, on May 16, 2008, Chingiz Aitmatov suffered a kidney failure and had to be admitted to a hospital in Nuremberg, Germany, and later died on June 10, 2008, aged 79. Before passing, Aitmatov was nominated for the 2008 Nobel Prize for literature.

Nowadays, Aitmatovs legacy can be seen in his many novels, screenplays, and films, as well as in the museum dedicated to him in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. However, in many ways, Aitmatovs work and legacy can now be seen in his family, as it was his primary source of inspiration for the many times he wrote about his family in his novels.

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Written by: Tomiris Kamitova

Contact info: tomiirisk@gmail.com