Zhumabayev Magzhan Bekenovich was the well-known poet, one of the bright stars which have appeared in a firmament of the Kazakh literature at the beginning of the XX century. He was born in the Poludenovsky volost of the Akmolinsk district of the Akmolinsk province (the present Bulayev region of the North Kazakhstan area). His father, Beken (Bekmaganbet) was the person of average prosperity who had a great influence in his surroundings thanks to his qualities: justice, objectivity in judgments, humanity. Probably it formed the basis for election him as a volost manager.
Having started to study at the rural teacher, Magzhan in 1905 entered the Kyzylzhar madrasah which he finished successfully. But the study in this did not satisfy the inquisitive young man. In search of education he goes to Ufa. There he managed to enter the Madrasah-Galiya which for those times by the level of teaching was equated to the highest religious educational institution. Here the teacher, known Tatar writer Galymzhan Ibragimov who, having seen in young akyn (Kazakh poet) gleams of huge talent paid attention to him, began to help him. With his help the first collection of verses of Magzhan under the name "Sholpan" was published in Kazan, also with his help Magzhan entered the teacher's seminary in Omsk. Trained in Russian since the childhood, well familiar with Russian literature, Magzhan took place as the Kazakh poet who is allocating with the talent and own style. If in the beginning in his poems prevailed the subject of forever young love a lyric, in process of Magzhan’s growing gradually passes to civil subject.
But also civil subjects are penetrated by depth and power of feelings of bitterness endured by him and disappointments.
Poetic gift helped Magzhan to inform to the reader cry from the heart, harmoniously connecting feelings with public subjects. These years he listened to lectures of such outstanding people, as Ahmet Baytursynov and Mirzhakyp Dulatov that promoted growth of his creative level. The example of great teachers inspired Magzhan's poetic soul.
The poet thet apprehended by soul not only contents of national songs, but also harmony of their sounding, melody, internal spirit, was skillful to give with words such feelings which are subject only to music. Magzhan's distinguished feature consists in it as poet.
Magzhan was the poet not similar to others, with the special style. He considered life as one uniform picture, and a person as creation of the great nature, a universe particle. He tried to penetrate into events essence, finding out a condition and tendencies of considered problems; he was interested not only in outer side of the phenomena, but also in inner meaning. He considered the world from the philosophical point of view.
During his work in magazines "Sholpan", "Sana", in newspaper editorial office "Ak zhol", study at the Moscow institute of literature and art he was always searching, was on creative lifting. The destiny of the talented poet who has entered a time of a maturity, reached certain heights in education and creativity, was suddenly changed by intervention during his life of red executioners that put him in prison. In 1929 akyn (Kazakh poet) underwent prosecutions. First on a false denunciation he was condemned for 10 years. Thanks to M.Gorkiy's intervention and his wife’s E.Peshkova Magzhan was released in 1936; in a year he was condemned again as "the enemy of the people" and in March of the next year was sentenced to execution.
