Alykul Osmonov 

(1915-1950) 

A portrait of the original dramatic poet Alykul Osmonov, who is one of the brightest representatives of Kyrgyz literature, is depicted on the front side of the banknote with denomination of 200 Som.  

Alykul Osmonov was born in the village of Kaptal-Aryk, Panfilov district, in the family of a poor man. He was brought up in Pishpek and Tokmok orphanages being early deprived of his parents.  

Osmonov started to write poetry early. In 1930, a poem titled “Red Wagon” was first published in “Sabattuu bol” newspaper, and in 1935, he published his first poetry collection “Tandagy yrlar” (“Morning Poems”).  

He made highly artistic translations of the world classics such as “Eugene Onegin” by Alexander Pushkin, “Othello” and “Twelfth night” by W. Shakespeare, fables by Igor Krylov into Kyrgyz language, and translation of “Knight in the tiger skin” by Shintur Rustaveli is considered a masterpiece of poetic art translation into the Kyrgyz language.  

А. Osmonov often visited Issyk-Kul. The lake that he loved so much nourished his inspiration. Here he wrote his best works. Thus, at the end of November 1944, he created a large cycle of poems that later became the basis of his famous book of poems, “Love”, and entered great poetry. That winter he created well-known works “My star”, “What I am ashamed of”, “Shota Rustaveli”, “Cranes”, “Thirty years”, “Do not laugh at me”, “Black butterfly”, “Nature and music”, “Bukentai”, “I saw a flight of swans”. At the same time (until early March 1945), the poet created his best lyrical and romantic poems: “Tolubay - the expert of horses”, “Struggle of characters”, “My mother”, “Kuluipa”, “May night”, “Love”. In 1943-1948, he wrote a number of dramatic works: the play “The second brigade”, “Traveller Kooman”, “Abylkasym Dzhanbolotov”, “Love”, the comedy “We must go to Merke”, the libretto of the opera “Cholponbai”.  

At the end of the 40s, Alykul’s talent reached its zenith. He dreamed of being heard by his own people, as well as by all peoples of our country. He prepared his own interlinear translations for his first book in Russian and sent the manuscript to the “Soviet writer” publishing house. A number of collections of poems and verses by А. Osmonov has been published in Russian, Estonian and English.  

In the postwar period, Alykul appears to us as a deep and subtle lyricist, a great master of verse. He is confident in his abilities, dreaming of national recognition.  

In 1967, А.Osmonov was the first writer to be awarded the Lenin Komsomol Prize posthumously. The literary prize of the Kirgizia Writers’ Union named after A. Osmonov was established in 1986. The name of the poet was given to secondary school No. 68 in Bishkek, a number of literary associations, foundations in the country, libraries and the streets of cities and villages of Kyrgyzstan.