Gabdol Slanov (September 15, 1911, the Guryev area (nowadays the Kzylkoginsk region of Atyrau area, Kazakhstan) - February 17, 1969, Alma-Ata) was the Kazakh Soviet writer, the journalist, the translator.
Gabdol Slanov after graduation from school, he worked at oil field in Makat. In 1930 he went to Alma-Ata. In April, 1931 G. Slanov was employed in newspaper editorial office «Enbekshi» (now «Yegemen Kazakhstan») where till autumn of 1940 worked as the literary employee, and then as a manager of department. These years he wrote remarkable stories, sketches, feuilletons, his journalistic skill developed.
In 1938 the collection of stories by Gabdol Slanov «Letopis vremeni» (Time chronicle) was published. And in 1939 there was a story «Potok mechty» (A dream stream) which led to an award at the republican competition devoted to the twentieth anniversary of Lenin Komsomol and in 1940 was published as the separate book. G. Slanov's following work was published in 1941; the novel was printed twice in 1958 and 1965 in Russian under the name «Step da step» (Steppe, only steppe).
Gabdol Slanov’s works along with works of M. Auezov, S. Mukanova, G. Musrepova's promoted formation and development of multiplane Kazakh prose. The author himself became a widely known writer. In some years, in 1945 Gabdol Slanov wrote a novel "Zhanartau" devoted to life of oil industry workers of Emba in days of the Great Patriotic War. This novel is considered to be the first work in the Kazakh literature devoted to oil industry workers of Kazakhstan, to working class.
In 1949 the writer wrote a story which in 1954 was edited and published as a novel under the name "Privoliye" (Open space), later it was published in Russian. The novel «Buinoye ruslo» (Violent course) was written to 1963 and devoted to formation of working class of Semirechye. This novel was also published in Russian. G.Slanov successfully worked not only in a prose genre, he also was a brilliant essayist, the real publicist, the bright journalist, wrote many essays, problem articles which were included into the collected works in 6-volumes, published after his death.
Gabdol Slanov wrote the drama devoted to legendary akyn (poet) and batyr Makhambet. This play was put on scenes of the M. Auezov academic theater. The writer was engaged in translational activity, translated into the Kazakh language A.Fadeev's novel «Molodaya gvardiya» (Young guard).
Gabdol Slanov described deeply, exactly and clearly everything he saw. All this thanks to his first labor activity in a working environment, he was well familiar with many oil industry workers.
Many of his works describe the native land, the Taysoygan steppe, Mukur and Sagiza vicinity. Many critics noted Gabdol Slanova's a quick eye, ability to compare a thing to try to discover parallels between them. The writer differed surprising feature to describe colorfully, apparently, the naked steppe and desert. In many respects thanks to Gabdol Slanov Taysoygan became a sacred place.
