YERSALIMOV BALTABEK BAZILUVLY

Local historian, journalist, writer, Honored Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Baltabek Baziluly Yersalimov was born on February 28, 1938 in an ordinary family. Local historian, journalist, writer, Honored Worker of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Honored Citizen of Semey city and Abai district, served as president of the "Abai" Foundation.

His uncle Akhmetbek Iskakuly was an educated, open-minded and literate person. There are historical documents and memoirs proving that he had close ties with the famous intelligentsia of that time. Since there is little information about Iskak's son Akhmetbek, the question is often asked, "How are you a nephew of our grandfather Abai?" Our brother Baltabek has a ready answer for him: "Akhmetbek is born from Iskak, and Kapiza from Akhmetbek. I am Baltabek, the only hoof left at the end of Kapiza. Then I will be the nephew of Abai and Iskak. I will be the nephew of Iskak's son Akhmetbek,” he said. Baltabek Baziluly's mother Kapiza Akhmetbekkyzy was the daughter of Abai's younger brother Iskak Kunanbayuly. His mother was a very knowledgeable person who had seen her grandfathers Abai and Iskak with her own eyes when she was young and had memorized the lives and names of the people in the villages of Abai and Iskak at that time. Although his mother had many children, the only one left behind was Baltabek aga. Baltabek, who had lost his childhood early, shared the family burden with his mother. The young man, who had experienced the hardships of life, learned that life is a struggle and that it must be overcome through hard work. He did not want to show his father's absence.

So, he got a night job as a courier (paper carrier) for the regional newspaper “Priirtyshskaya Pravda”. He studied during the day and worked at night. He graduated from the journalism faculty of Almaty Kazakh State University in absentia and returned to the editorial office as a journalist. Thinking back to that childhood, he realized that he was raised not only by his mother, but also by the entire school staff, the publishing house and the editorial staff. That is why Baltabek is close to the working class community with all his being.

He was one of the first organizers of the Abai Foundation in Semey. In 1992, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the resumption of publication of the Republican magazine "Abai", for his outstanding contribution to the promotion of the spiritual heritage of Abai, Shakarim and Mukhtar Auezov, and for his active public service, the president of the "Abai" Foundation, Baltabek Ersalimuly, was awarded the title of "Honorary Citizen of Semey" in 2002.