Nurkatov Aikyn was born in 1928 in village Shukyrkol of Kokshetau region.
He graduated from Kazakh Pedagogical Institute named after Abai, philology faculty in 1950. In the same place he completed a theoretical course of postgraduate study.
In 1954 he defended the master's thesis on a subject: “Vladimir Mayakovsky and the Kazakh Soviet poetry” which was released as the separate book later. In 1951-1958 he managed department of literary criticism of the magazine “Жулдыз” (“Zhuldyz”).
In 1958-1965 was Senior research associate of Institute of language and literature (national academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan). The researcher of literature, the critic, the literary critic, Candidate of Philology Aikyn Nurkatov lived only 37 years. For so short time he wrote more than two hundred critical articles.
His first collection of articles published in editorial house “Жазушы” (“Zhazushy”). The coauthor of the textbook “Қазақ әдебиеті” (“Kazakh literature”) for 9 classes, 1952. In 1956-1957 the monograph “Mukhtar Auezov's Creativity” was published. The monograph “Poetic Traditions of Abai” was published in 1966 and was a big contribution to research of creativity of Abai.
Among them — the monographs devoted to life and creativity of such classics of the Kazakh literature and science as Sh. Ualikhanov, Abai Kunanbayev, Mukhtar Auezov, S. Toraygyrov, G. Musrepov, G. Mustafin, S. Mukanov, I. Bayzakov, Zh. Zhabayev. The peak of creative career of Aykyn Nurkatov fell on the 50-60th. That is more remarkable that he wrote articles in which, sincerely being anxious for destiny of the people to the times of troubles of a dethronement of a cult of personality and short Khruschev's “thaw”, calls tribespeople as an apple of the eye to store the spiritual heritage. Speaking about creativity of titans of domestic literature, Nurkatov himself acts as the filigree master literary critic, opening and with pleasure showing to readers those sides of their talent which were unknown to an unsophisticated look hitherto. It should be noted that popular scientific works of Aikyn Nurkatov didn't lose topical character and a demand today at all. Being the large critic and the scientist-philologist, A. Nurkatov couldn't but pay special attention to such size in the Kazakh culture, as Abai. He declares: Abai — really a cornerstone of the Kazakh literature, everything, the words which touched art, will constantly come back to Abai, trying to solve a phenomenon of his genius. In the monograph A. Nurkatov thoroughly analyzes life and creativity of the classic of the Kazakh literature. Sorting texts of Abai, he shows surprising awareness, brilliant style, ability to unexpected and well-aimed conclusions, ability to do the exhaustive analysis. Besides, the author devotes the big section of the book to the poets creating after Abai convincingly proving the fact of decisive influence of Abai on further development of the Kazakh literature. The textbook on the Kazakh literature written by Nurkatov came out in the competition announced by the Ministry of Public Education the winner and was published in the mass edition.
