Musauly Yryskhan

(1933 – 2012)

The writer Yryskhan Musauly was born in 1933 in the village of Kundyzdı, Aбай district. After receiving a ten-year education, he studied at the journalism faculty of Kazakh State University from 1953 to 1958. During his interesting student years, he began writing a novel titled "Ağa Sultan."

Yryskhan Musauly started his career in 1958 at the newspaper "Leninshil Zhas." There, he wrote several stories and essays. In 1965, he moved to the regional newspaper "Semey Tañy," where he worked as a literary worker and head of a department. While working there, he was sent to study at the Higher Party School in Moscow. He continued to write during that time. After graduating, he was assigned to work in Mangystau region, where he laid the foundation for the newspaper "Kommunistik Jol." During his years in the press, he traveled extensively, writing many articles and essays. In 1977, he returned to Semey and took on the role of chief editor at "Semey Tañy." During his tenure as chief editor, he significantly contributed to uplifting the spirit of a spiritual center like Semey and enhancing the consciousness and identity of the people.

Many years later, in 1992, he was appointed as the chief editor of the republican magazine "Abai."

In the 1994 issues, a part of the novel "Ağa Sultan" was published. It depicts the complex events that took place in the Karakara district in the mid-19th century. Here, readers meet characters like Qunanbay, Alshynbay, Tattimbet, and Musalar. Yryskhan Musauly is a holder of the "Order of Honor" and the title of "Honored Worker of Kazakhstan." He is a member of the Union of Writers of Kazakhstan. The main theme in the works of the writer Yryskhan Musauly, who emerged from the sacred land of Shyngyztau, is the fate of the Kazakh people in the 20th century.

In 2000, the writer's published two-volume prose books undoubtedly provide readers with great spiritual strength in terms of ethnography and linguistic richness.

The novel "Ağa Sultan" in the first book is based on historical facts. It presents the complex image of Qunanbay Qaji. The writer's last three volumes include the "Saga" trilogy. In these works, he depicts the face of the Soviet era in the 20th century.

The three parts of the "Saga" trilogy – "Beyuaq," "Qulqynsari," and "Qyzyl Iñir" – were published in the magazine and later in the writer's three volumes.

The "Saga" novel describes the stormy years of the region where the author was born and raised, as well as the trends during the collectivization period.

"Qulqynsari," which depicts the collectivization period (the massacre caused by the white and red) and the famine (of 1931-32), is like a continuation of the previous "Beyuaq." "Qyzyl Iñir" deals with the political repression that shook the world in 1937.

Reaching such a creative height after half a century of work in the press is a great fortune for this citizen of Alash.

In 2023, as part of the "Abai Zholy" library project implemented with the support of the governor of Abai region, Yryskhan Musauly's novel "Ağa Sultan" was published.

A member of the Union of Writers of Kazakhstan, Yryskhan Musauly is a holder of the "Order of Honor" and an Honored Cultural Worker of Kazakhstan (1979), awarded with a certificate from the Supreme Council of the Kazakh SSR (1983). He is an honorary citizen of Semey city.

The writer Yryskhan Musauly passed away in 2012.