Askar Tokmagambetov (September 6 (19), 1905 - August 21, 1983) was the Kazakh poet and writer.
Askar Tokmagambetov was born in 1905 in the Terenozek region of Kyzylorda area in a family of the poor. He was taught the Arab reading and writing at the rural mullah. The traditional directions of oral poetic creativity of the Kazakh people played a big role in Tokmagambetov's works.
In 1924 Askar Tokmagambetov entered the Tashkent polytechnic training college. In 1932 he finished the publishing department of journalism institute in Moscow. Tokmagambetov's works were published in the «Yenbekshi kazak», «Leninshil zhas» Kazakhstan newspapers, in the «Literatura iskusstvo» (Literature and art) magazine. Tokmagambetov worked as the head of department in the «Socialistik Kazakstan» (Socialistic Kazakhstan) newspaper and as the editor of the «Kazak adebieti» (Kazakh literature) newspaper.
In 1928 his first poetic collection «Pesnya truda» (The work song) was published. Askar Tokmagambetov wrote several works devoted to a subject of protection of the Homeland and internationalism. A.Tokmagambetov was the first of the Kazakh writers who described the horror of fascism. In days of the Great Patriotic War the patriotic songs composed on Tokmagambetov’s poems about people’s acts of bravery at the front and about home front workers, about friendship of the people were widely known. His poems are divided into four groups: about aul life: "Pismo" (Letter), «Kluch schastya» (Happiness key), "Kaskelen", «Put v zhizn» (The way to life), «Vesna agronoma» (Spring of the agriculturist), etc.; about outstanding public figures, fighters for happiness of the people: «Ali batyr», «Sudba poeta» (Destiny of the poet), «Chasovoi Kremlya» (Sentinel of the Kremlin), etc.; about protection of the Fatherland, courage, patriotism: «Velikany, pobedivshiye smert» (The giants who have won death), «Dastan Bogatyrei» (The Legend of the heros), "Uborschitsa" (Cleaner), etc.; about internationalism: «Na ulitsakh Berlina» (On the streets of Berlin), "Ispaniya" (Spain), «Temnoi nochuyu» (At the dark night), «Na beregakh Reina» (On the coast of the Rhine) etc.. Many of his lyrical poems are set to music.
Askar Tokmagambetov is the author of the story «Ludi orlinnogo polyota» (People of eagle flight) about Ibray Zhakhayev's life, «Akmonshak» (together with O. Bodykov) about a revolutionary aul, the novel «Otec I syn» (The father and the son) in which the images of life of the Kazakhs occupying the foothills of Karatau and the coast of Syr-Darya (it is republished under the name "Perepolokh" (Hurly) are shown. Then A. Tokmagambetov wrote the novel «Minaret poezii» (A poetry minaret) about Kazakh akyns that lived in the XIX century. One of the important directions of Askar Tokmagambetov’s works is the satire. He published a number of collections of satirical poems and feuilletons. The creative identity of the writer was brightly shown in his drama works "Hazret Sultan", «Semaphor otkryt» (The semaphore is open), «Dva zakona» (Two laws). Also Askar Tokmagambetov wrote the film script «Yesli by vse my byli takimi» (If all of us were like that), and translated S. Ayni's novel "Raby" (Slaves) into the Kazakh language.
Askar Tokmagambetov was awarded the Russian revolution award, the Patriotic war І degrees award, the Labour Red banner (three times) awards and several medals.
