1924-2022
Writer
Abdizhamil Karimovich Nurpeisov (October 22, 1924, Ushkon village, Kulandy settlement, Aral district, Kyzylorda region - February 5, 2022) - a people's writer of Kazakhstan, public figure, veteran of the Great Patriotic War. He is one of the major figures of Kazakh literature of the 20th century, making a great contribution not only to the national art of speech, but also to world literature. Abdizhamil's ancestors come from the Shekty clan of the Alim tribe, the Zhakaim branch, which has long inhabited the Aral Sea region. His seventh grandfather, Taikhozha batyr, was the defender of the country, and his subsequent grandfathers, Argynbai bi, Sylanbai bai, and Nurpeis bolys, ruled the country in their era and were eloquent people. His father, Karim, served as a village headman, was engaged in hunting, and before the war he worked on a fish collective farm. In 1944, he died in the battle near Ternopil, leaving behind four sons, but the only son who returned from the front was Abdizhamil.
The writer spent his childhood by the sea. During the famine years, he was engaged in fishing, but in the country, where he lived, there was no famine like in Arkhangelsk, but he experienced many hardships. In his memoirs, he says that although he was eager to study from childhood, his studies were interrupted by hardships. However, he graduated from school and was drafted into the army in 1942.
He studied short-term courses in the army and participated in the war on the Southern and Baltic fronts. He was a political officer in a mortar company near Lugansk, then served as a staff officer and participated in the bloody battles on the Courland bridgehead near the Baltic. He showed heroism in open battles and ended the war in the Courland operations. During his military career, he was awarded the Order of the Great Patriotic War of the second degree, the Order of the Red Star, and several medals.
After being discharged from the army in December 1946, he completed the novel "Courland", which he had begun writing while serving in the army, and entered the literary world. This work brought great success to the young writer, becoming the laureate of the Zhambyl Republican Prize. He studied at the Kazakh State University for a year, then at the M. Gorky Literary Institute in Moscow, graduating in 1956.
From the moment he entered the literary world, Abdizhamil Nurpeisov was active not only in the field of prose, but also in criticism and journalism. In 1962–1964, he was the editor-in-chief of the magazine "Zhuldyz", contributing to the development of literary criticism and artistic prose. He became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR. Later, he was engaged in collective creativity, and in the market era he organized the international Kazakh PEN club and was elected its president. In 2000, he published the magazine "Tan-Sholpan" under this club and headed the editorial board.
The writer's greatest creative achievement is the trilogy "Blood and Sweat" and the dilogy "The Last Duty". These works have been translated into more than thirty foreign languages, making Kazakh literature known to the world. His works were highly praised by such figures of world literature as Louis Aragon from France, Chingiz Aitmatov from Kyrgyzstan, and Mustai Karim from Bashkortostan. Kazakh classics Mukhtar Auezov, Sabit Mukanov, Gabit Musrepov, and later generations of writers also highly appreciated his works.
Abdizhamil Nurpeisov's literary work was highly respected by both the country and the state. He was awarded the orders "Red Banner of Labor", "Badge of Honor", and "Otan". In 1985, he was awarded the title of "People's Writer of the Kazakh SSR". He was also a laureate of the USSR State Prize. Along with Mukhtar Auezov and Zhuban Moldagaliyev, Abdizhamil was one of the few writers from Kazakhstan to receive this award.
In 1978, directors Azerbaijan Mambetov and Yuri Mastyugin filmed his novel "Blood and Sweat". The script for the film was written by Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky, and the main roles were played by Anuar Moldabekov, Tungyshbay Zhamankulov and other famous actors. The film won a gold medal at the VDNKh exhibition in Moscow in 1979 and the "Best Historical and Revolutionary Film" award at the Ashgabat Film Festival.
In 2008, a monument dedicated to the heroes of the "Blood and Sweat" trilogy was unveiled in Aktobe. This was the first sculptural composition dedicated to the heroes of a literary work in Kazakhstan.
The life path of Abdizhamil Karimovich Nurpeisov is intertwined with the history of the Kazakh people in the 20th century, its sorrows and joys, the development of literature and culture. He is a great figure who, having passed through the war front, raised national literature to the heights in peacetime, and left behind an immortal legacy.
One of the streets in the Bostandyk district of Almaty is named after the people's writer Abdizhamil Nurpeisov. The length of the street is 2200 meters
Date of decision | Institution | Maslihat decision | Mayor Decision |
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15.10.2025 | Abdizhamil Nurpeisov | Data is not available yet | Data is not available yet |