Kasymaly Jantöshev

Kasymaly Jantöshev (; 15 September 1904 – 13 August 1968) was a Kyrgyz writer and playwright. Jantöshev is regarded as one of the most important Kyrgyz writers, and is considered to be one of the founders of Kyrgyz drama and theatre. Many of his works portray the transformation of Kyrgyz society during the 20th-century, and contain socialist themes. One of Jantöshev's novels, Kanybek, has become part of Kyrgyzstan's cultural heritage, and remains very popular within the country.

Early life and education Jantöshev was born into a poor peasant family on 15 September 1904, in either the village of Tengizbay or Tepke, then a part of the Russian Empire. His early experiences consisted of housework and tending to sheep, and he grew up alongside herdsmen and farmers. As a child, Jantöshev's aunt recited many legends and stories, and this inspired Jantöshev's interest in artistic expression. At age 16, Jantöshev learned how to read and write, and he studied at a village school until 1924. In 1930, Jantöshev graduated from Frunze Pedagogical College in Frunze (now known as Bishkek), the capital of the Kirghiz ASSR; he later became a teacher at the college, teaching courses preparing village councilors and chairmen of collective farms.

Early works Members of the Red Spark literary circle in 1927. Jantöshev is in the middle of the second row. In 1926, while still attending Frunze Pedagogical College, Jantöshev was admitted into the Kyrgyz Music and Drama Studio, alongside director and actors and . Later that year, Jantöshev would write his first theatrical work, a one-act play entitled Shepherds; in addition to writing the play, Jantöshev was also the lead actor. In 1927, he wrote three additional one-act plays, including one entitled Son of Lenin. Between 1928 and 1930, Jantöshev wrote three multi-act plays: Karachach and Alym and Maria, both dramas of the lives of Kyrgyz women before the Russian Revolution, as well as Let the Rich Lose. All three of these plays were staged in public theaters, with the latter being staged at the . The first book follows the titular Kanybek as he experiences slavery and feudalism, briefly obtains his personal liberty, is exiled to Siberia, and ultimately leads a class war that radically changes the social order and establishes Soviet rule. At a 2014 event commemorating the 110th anniversary of Jantöshev's birth, Asylbek Jêênbekov, the Speaker of the Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan, stated that "there is not a single person [in Kyrgyzstan] who does not know the novel Kanybek", and that "the novel passes from generation to generation as an artistic heritage, and this book is in the library of every Kyrgyz family". For his efforts during the war, Jantöshev was awarded the Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945". During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Jantöshev wrote several short stories and children's books. Jantöshev also translated several foreign works into Kyrgyz, most prominently How the Steel Was Tempered by Nikolai Ostrovsky, as well as works by Mikhail Lermontov and Hans Christian Andersen. In the late 1950s, Jantöshev and other Kyrgyz writers often drew on folklore for themes. Jantöshev's Kurmanbeck about the folk hero Batyr was highly popular.

In 1960, Jantöshev was a screenwriter for the film , and in 1963, Jantöshev published his third novel, The Shepherd from Khan Tengri. In 2014, an event commemorating his 110th birthday was held, hosted by the National Library of the Kyrgyz Republic; at the event, universities and other schools held an exhibition presenting Jantöshev's literature and articles about him, while actors performed excerpts from his works.

Several schools, libraries, a street in Bishkek, and the Issyk-Kul Regional Drama Theater are named after Jantöshev.

Decorations and awards Jantöshev received the following decorations and awards: Order of the Badge of Honor (twice) Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" Medal "For Distinguished Labour"