The activist of the Alash movement, literary critic, Abay scholar, Ydyrys Mustanbayev was born in 1898 in Zharma region, East Kazakhstan oblast. He finished Tinibay medrese, 2-class Russian-Kazakh training school and studied at Semey gymnasium. He started his work path as a post telegraphist.
In 1918 he participated in the organization of the mounted regiment of Alash in Semey. In 1919-1921 years he was a member of Semey Provincial Revolutionary Committee, and was in charge of organizational and administrative works at Semey, Oskemen, Ayagoz, Zaisan Universities.
In 1920 he was elected as a member to the Central Executive Committee at the Constituent Assembly of the Kazakh ASSR.
In 1921-1926 years he was a public prosecutor of Oral, Akmola provinces, chairman of Syrdaria Provincial Executive Committee, Instructor of the Kazakh Central Executive Committee service.
In 1926 he was prosecuted for “Syrdaris isi”, “Shayan isi”.
1926-1927 years – the national Commissar of the Kazakh ASSR. In 1927 year he was the public prosecutor against ataman Anenkov in the court of Semey.
In the last years of his life he took various positions in council, party, economic spheres in Almaty. He was expelled from the party several times after raising issues of land, village, confiscation of the property of the wealthy, social class division, also socialistic reconstruction in Kazakhstan, and for the struggle against national policy of Goloshchekin, being a bright representative of the “saduakasovschina” he was persecuted for the opposition to Trotsky.
Mustanbayev made a contribution to the literature, took an active part in the issues connected to the fortune of Kazakh literature. He defended Abay, A. Baityrsynov, M. Zhumabayev’s creative heritage from class-ideological attacks. He was a victim of the political repression. He died in 1937. On 18 February, 1991 he was rehabilitated.
