The truth about the destiny of the poet

If I will die, then I will be reduced to dust,

If you hit it with a shovel, it will hit me from the top.

How will I fix this world?

I can't say I'm happy in this world.

Toleuzhan Ismailov

How did the poet Toleuzhan's poetic career begin? Who did he live with? Whom did he accompany?? What made him proud? What made him famous? How did his short life end?

In the early 50's, a poet came to the world of Kazakh poetry. Everyone were glanced, looking at him. Unfortunately, the poet dedicated only ten years to the field of poetry. He had suffered for ten years. Then, he started to lose his temper. Who was that poet?..

Toleuzhan Ismailov, was a talented poet and translator, who, despite being so talented, could not fully use the energy of his talent. I have never seen the poet. But from an early age, I heard a lot of stories about the poet. I read his poems songs. I read the materials published in the pages of the publication over the course of several years. I looked at the memoirs of his contemporaries about the tragic fate of the poet. This opinion is based on the opinions and stories of contemporaries and those who saw the poet. In this way, we wanted to look at the destiny of the poet, who could not get his share of life.

Honestly, the work of the talented man was written on the eve of the poet's anniversaries (50th, 60th, 70th, and 75th), but it is no exaggeration to say that the full world, which is deeply rooted in his fate, has not been written yet. So, we decided to fill in the gaps.

The way of life and destiny of creative people has never been that smooth. As the poet Tolegen Aibergenov sang, “You say that it is easy to live as a poet. Actually, the path of poetry has never been that easy”. This is evidenced by the way of life of such poets as Mukagali Makatayev, Zhumeken Nazhimedenov, Zharaskan Abdrashev and Tolegen Aibergenov. None of these poets has seen a lot of modernity. Despite being a great talent, they have not been respected or appreciated during their lifetime. Toleuzhan Ismailov lived like his contemporaries and fellows that were mentioned above. The gift of destiny drew them together. A spiritual pressure and humiliation they experienced did not go unnoticed by Toleuzhan poet. But the poet died too early. Why did the poet die so early? Why did some contemporaries and colleagues not like their brothers? Why did he see so much exclusion in his short life as a whip? Was he just drinking an alcohol?

It's no secret that many contemporaries who saw Toleuzhan Ismailov wrote memoirs and articles. Most of the memories are related and dedicated to his work. Unfortunately, the conversation in such a small memory did not go beyond alcohol. “It was a difficult life because of alcohol. He was a real talent. Surprisingly, he couldn’t reveal his talent. He died too early...” This is the essence of the memory. Meaningless sigh. But who needs it? We all know it's too early. But why did he leave so early? Is it his fault that he drank alcohol? Who did not drink vodka? It is always easy to feel guilty. He is also a human being. Who would have wondered or guessed why the poet drank, was nervous and felt fussy? Have we looked at it from a human point of view?

How had the era of Toleuzhan begin in many twists and turns of destiny? Why, didn't he fit Almaty? Who didn’t fit in? “In the spirit of Byron, the blood of Kassym was on fire with “Kokdauyl”, and the inexperienced fifteen-year-old young man with a sharp character fell into the middle of the whirlwind of poetry in Almaty. Pushkin once said: “He was a talent of the people. Without artificiality in nature, you destroyed it with a bang”. In 1949-1950, the Kazakh intelligentsia was re-launched in the 1930s. “When the enemy comes from the shore, the wolf pulls from the foothills”, said the old Kazakhs-traitors, who, in the opinion of Moscow, not only defiled themselves, but also stumbled upon the naive youth of the older generation. Toleuzhan was one of those who lost his way. Kassym Amanzholov killed another senior poet in order to fight with the plaintiffs. The headline of the newspaper “Komsomolskaya Pravda” wrote the following facts: “A young critic in Kazakhstan, Toleuzhan Ismailov should be called such a hero”. It was a constant provocation for him. “How can the newspaper “Komsomolskaya Pravda” know Kazakh, and who is not yet a traitor to our Kazakhs, whispering to him and listening to him?” The poet’s teacher, fellow countryman, poet Kashaf Tuganbayev wrote about this.

If we look closely, we can learn a lot from this story.

It is definitely true that Toleuzhan was a very talented poet. It is surprising thing that at the age of 15, he graduated from high school, entered the Kazakh State University, the capital of poets in Almaty, and graduated at the age of 19.

In fact, Toleuzhan was born very smart, intelligent and talented human. At the same time, the poet's mother, Khadisha apai, seems to have no advantage in listening to her story. “Toleuzhan grew up without a father. His father did not return from the war. But I raised my son more than my father. Toleuzhan was too smart. He never came to our house. Toleuzhan used to read at night. There are no books in the country that Toleuzhan has not read. There was no poem that Toleuzhan could not memorize. Other children went to school not at the age of eight, but at seven. At first, he skipped. While other students completed one class per year, Toleuzhan could have finished two classes at once. He had studied for only a year above the 7th grade. At the age of 14, Abyraly graduated and moved to Almaty. People were amazed at Toleuzhan's patience and perseverance. I prayed to God that I would not be hurt. I wish he would avoid trouble. He graduated from Almaty at the age of 19. In the year of graduation, he came to the village. I made my own wedding. There were rumors that some teachers, aged 19 and 39, did not have diplomas. He went to work in Almaty again. Then I started getting bad news. I thought my son was blindfolded”.

A poet Toleuzhan came to literature too early. It is a true fact that he left early. However, despite his young age, the young poet did not lie in the literary world; he was bold and active. He tried to demonstrate and show his own voice and own style. Probably because of his arrogance, perhaps because of his overflowing talent and knowledge, he did not shy away from anything. Some liked it, and some did not. There were many times when he was beaten. Here again, let's listen to Tuganbayev's opinion. “While studying in the final year of Kazakh State University, Toleuzhan was constantly writing letters. In one of them, Tair Zharokov was accused of being not a poet, but a drug addict, an idiot. I told him, “You are a blue stick stuck in the soil of literature. You have not taken the root yet”. If it's ready, it's better. Krylov's fable does not exist here. After all, is Tair the only one with a motto? You are all “Wrapped” in song. “No, sir, don't listen to anyone”.

This was probably the time when the young poet decided to get involved in the literary world.

Last year, the “Turkestan” newspaper (“Turkestan”, No35, 28.08.2008) published an interview of Kolbay Adyrbekuly with the famous poet Orazbek Sarsenbayev. The same interview describes the life of the literary community in the 50s and 60s, the current trends among poets and writers of that time. In an interview, Orazbek Sarsenbayev said that he came to Almaty in 1957 to study at Kazakh State University. The first and most influential group gathered at Kazakh State University. It was headed by Mukhtar Auezov, Professor of Kazakh Literature. He was surrounded by patriotic people, such as Beisembay Kenzhebayev and Zeinolla Kabdolov, who were very progressive and democratic. Our group also joined this group. The second group was in the Writers' Union. They were influenced by Sabit Mukanov and Gabit Musrepov. We young people called them “Conservative shawls”. The third group is concentrated in KazPI. The great teacher is made up of scientists. They were headed by Kazhym Zhumaliev. “It included such great scholars as Malik Gabdullin and Nigmet Gabdullin”, he said, adding that the three groups were divided into “traditionalists” and “innovators”.

“Traditionalists are the older generation of writers, such as Sabit, Gabit, Kalizhan, and Gali. “Innovators” are our group led by Mukhtar. In particular, we became acquainted with native literature as well as foreign literature translated into Russian, and attempted to bring a new trend, charm through our works. The “Traditionalists” could not accept him lying down. It has become not just a conflict but a political and social one. They also looked for the roots of nationalism in us. Zhumaliev's group was also on the side of the traditionalists. But he did not openly oppose the Mukhans”.

It is clear that Toleuzhan was one of the poets whom traditionalists “Could not accept”. Orazbek Sarsenbayev does not hide the fact that Toleuzhan Ismailov was in the group of “Innovators” led by his son Mukhan, and instead of the support from the older generation, the young poet's innovations were deliberately reduced, stagnated, and criticized at all. Before commenting the project of Mukhametzhan Karataev “News or new disorder”, it was first published in 4 newspapers “Kazakhs Adebieti” dated January 25, 1963 by the interviewer Kolbay Adyrbekuly, let’s draw attention to the opinion based on a critical article that has been sharply criticized by innovators. “Taking an example from the poem “Kunshuak” by the poet T. Ismailov, M. Karatayev criticized the following: “... What is it? Is it news? Yes, it is news. What is kind of news? Poetry is related to breaking news. There is no rhythm, no unity of accent, no unity of syllables, no order, no intonation integrity, it is just a combination of words and phrases. And, the violators of this poem often found a comfortable situation on the pages of the newspaper “Leninshil Zhas”. In addition, M. Karatayev sharply criticized in this article Orazbek Sarsenbayev and several other young poets along with the poems of the poet Toleuzhan.

Orazbek Sarsenbayev gave the following explanation, “Toleuzhan Ismailov's article “Zaman men olen” was published in “Leninist Age” newspaper. He was a stubborn, but very educated poet. He followed the example of the Mayakovskiy school. He was bold in any environment. There is a line in that poem: “Let eleven generations break your spine”. Then, Karatayev criticized it. This means that the poet should not be limited to eleven generations”.

We do not call Mukhamedzhan Karatayev's opinion unfounded. However, at the same time, we see that the younger generation, who had just entered the literature, was under spiritual pressure from the older generation to accept the words of the elder generation.

In 1992, on April 4, a memoir-essay by Azilkhan Nurshaikov titled “The American Tragedy” about the life and work of Toleuzhan Ismailov was published in the issue of the newspaper “Semey Tany”. This essay deals with many aspects of the poet's life. The writer quotes the following excerpt from the story of Toleuzhan poet, who was visiting the house of Mukan Imanzhanov before moving to Pavlodar. “Seriler sybagasy” (“Seriler sybagasy” is a gift from the authors to the publishers. This is probably what they call it-A.K.) continued over and over again. As before, I stopped being ashamed of the authors. Gradually, we got used to it. We have made it a tradition to eat portions from the authors. I didn't know that he would “Eat” me after the “Portion” I was eating. What I used to call food turned out to be a rock. At the end of the service, I became an alcoholic. I was fired. Both your mother and the editor are in place. Nobody will bite them, because both of them are party members. Does it not apply to those who are like us? Of course, it's my fault”.

From these words of the poet, we can see some moments of his life, full of “narrow, slippery roads”. In our opinion, the turmoil of the young poet's bright life began when he graduated from university and got a job in publishing. There is no doubt that no one poured alcohol into their mouths. However, given the fact that a person is brought up in a secondary environment, we cannot deny that, as the poet himself said, “The editors of the party, who do not bite anyone's teeth”, had an impact on the defense of a talented citizen. That's what happened. Yes, the poet did not work part-time after leaving the publishing house. He drank an alcohol. Who would like to drink vodka? All friends turned away. At that time, Azilkhan Nurshaikov was appointed the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Kyzyl Tu” in Pavlodar region.

Although this time was short, it allowed Toleuzhan Ismailov to work well and be creative. This is the time when the first collection of poems, “Someone applauded” was published. In the same time, he got married and became a happy father. In short, that time was a quiet and comfortable period in the life of the poet, like the calm of the sea before a storm. But it did not last long. After Azeken's transfer from the editorial office of “Kyzyl Tu” to another position, the poet's life returned to normal. The poet left Pavlodar and went to Kyzylzhar. He divorced with his wife. Azilkhan Nurshaikov said about this time: “Later, I repeatedly appealed to the Central Committee, begged and resigned from the post of the editor”. I was transferred to a position where I had the opportunity to be involved in a single literature and was appointed to the correspondent for the newspaper “Socialist Kazakhstan” in the Pavlodar region. Toleuzhan is no longer administratively subordinate to me. But the spiritual connection between us has been preserved”.

It is not for nothing that our uncle Azilkhan said that he was “Administratively disobedient person”. After all, Azilkhan Nurshaikov was one of those who took special care of the poet Toleuzhan. It is not an exaggeration to say that he became a father instead of an elder brother. He was sorry for Toleuzhan and did his best. He wrote a good poem. This is the reason why we say above that “After Azeken's transfer to another position, the poet's life was restored”.

The truth is that Toleuzhan Ismailov did not prosper in his life and career after his service in Pavlodar. On the one hand, he lost his family. Of course, it was not easy for the poet to lose his family, his faithful wife, and his beloved daughter. The lonely, spiritually lonely woman sought a soothing blue neck (there was no one left to comfort her). Who did he give the powder to? The wounded poet became more and more depressed. There is no loving spouse, no trustworthy friend, who waits for the food on time and shows a warm and kind face. The end of such carelessness and neglect led the poet to worm disease. Finally, the poet came to the village. Having been disappointed with the wounded city, the poet sought warmth and peace in the village. Nobody in the village welcomed him with open arms. By the way, the poet Baurzhan Zhakyp said the following things:

“He left the city and went to the village,

When he reached the village, he lost his dignity”.

In fact, it just happened. The village did not hide behind the poet. A sheep was grazed and spent the night in the herdsmen's camp. He was sick. The pain of the soul was added to the pain of the soul and the lungs. The poet Toleuzhan was killed at the age of forty. He died on August 12, 1972, in a worm hospital of Semipalatinsk.

Actually, the poet Toleuzhan lived in a time when the blue mouse was wise, the blue was an angel, the tree was brave, and the glory was smart (M. Magauin). He was a victim of that time.

Let's talk and explain about it. On the 75th anniversary of Toleuzhan Ismailov, a museum-house named after the poet was opened in the village where he was born. In addition to the life and work of the poet, this museum-house contains a wealth of valuable information, including the entire genealogy of the local community. Unfortunately, the museum house is a bit neglected. The reason is the lack of special staff to look after the house-museum. The villagers wanted a special staff for the museum-house. This issue was brought to the attention of the head of administration of the region, Berdibek Saparbayev, during his visit to Kainar village by Omirzhan Zhakupov. The head of the region also said that he would lend a helping hand. The villagers are confident that this issue will be resolved soon.

This year has marked the 78th anniversary of the poet's birth and the 38th anniversary of his death. However, we should not forget to write about the destiny of individuals without waiting for certain dates and anniversaries.

At such moments, I remember the lines of the poem by Tolegen Aibergenov: We cannot deny that the “Shame of man-made” had an impact on the death of the poet Toleuzhan at the end of his life. We know that the “Work” of the “Scattered editors” is immeasurable, as he said, when the talented poet lived a miserable life and hurried to the village of death.

We avoid scattering dust on anyone. In this thought, we looked more or less at the unknown aspects of the poet's life. However, this does not seem to be enough. We hope that the truth about the fate of the poet will be told in the coming days.

Source on the theme.

Tahawi Akhtanov, writer:

“We worked together in the publishing company. I am an officer who saw the war. He is a young man who has just graduated from university. One of the poets I saw was T. Ismailov. He had a natural talent, erudition, and deep knowledge. It was like a blazing fire. It seemed so. We all looked. When I was an editor of the magazine, I published and supported his poems. I helped a lot. I wrote a lot of poems on assignment. But I can't say that I intervened in his difficult destiny. I've forgotten what he said. There was a great poem called “Sheep” written against national injustice. He memorized. In other words, I can say that he has the right to enter the history of literature with the same work. Whether the eyes touched or the language touched, the great poet slept immediately in his night`s repose, and just died”.

Tumanbay Moldagaliev, poet:

“Although Toleuzhan was three or four years older than us, he came to literature even earlier. He immediately and directly expressed his voice. He was a strong talent, but he could not give everything. Therefore, he was born and raised in a remote village, we were amazed that he was fluent in Russian. When we were translating, we would ask Toleuzhan for a word we didn't know. Lermontov's poem “Mtsyri”, translated and interpreted into Kazakh by Toleuzhan, is a classic poem in Russian literature.