ASTANA – Kazakhstan marks the 85th anniversary of Bakhytzhan Momyshuly, a prominent writer and translator, whose literary work preserved the stories of prominent Kazakh figures and explored themes of memory, resilience and spiritual strength.
The son of legendary Kazakh war hero, Panfilov Guards officer, and writer Bauyrzhan Momyshuly, he spent much of his life in the shadow of a celebrated father. Yet he developed a literary voice of his own, leaving behind works that combined personal memory with the stories of people and a country undergoing profound change.
Bakhytzhan Momyshuly was Born Oct. 3, 1941, in Almaty. His childhood was marked by long periods of separation from his father, who served in the military and later taught at military academies in Russia and Cuba. His mother died when he was young.
Bauyrzhan Momyshuly with his young son, Bakhytzhan. Photo credit: e-history.kz
As a child, Momyshuly underwent several operations on his hip following complications from polio. Despite these challenges, he completed secondary school and graduated from the Almaty Institute of Foreign Languages, now the Ablai Khan Kazakh University of International Relations and World Languages.
His father sent him to the family’s village in the Zhambyl Region during summer vacations so that he could learn the Kazakh language and traditions.
Momyshuly later recalled that he had once felt embarrassed when his classmates spent their summers at resorts or abroad, while he worked in the village and helped prepare hay for the winter. With time, however, he came to see his father’s decision differently.
“I later realized that my father was wise. He wanted his son to understand where he came from and who his relatives were. Only with the years did I understand that the Kazakh village became the place where I recognized my roots and absorbed a love for my homeland,” Momyshuly recalled.
From translation to literature
Literature became the defining pursuit of Momyshuly’s life. He began his career as a literary translator, bringing the works of leading Kazakh writers to Russian-speaking readers.
Over the years, he translated works by Sherkhan Murtaza, Zhaisanbek Moldagaliyev, Oralkhan Bokey, Kemel Tokayev, Kaldarbek Naimanbayev, Bek Toguspayev, Madi Aimbetov, Kakimzhan Kazybayev, Shaim Shavayev and others.
His professional path included work as a proofreader at the “Novaya Zhizn” newspaper in the Zhambyl Region, a translator at the “Znamya Truda” regional newspaper and a literary staff member at “Leninskaya Smena.” He later became an editor at the “Zhazushy” publishing house in Almaty.
Momyshuly began publishing his own fiction alongside his translation work. He published his first collection of short stories, “Good Bridges,” in 1971. It was followed by “Scorching Stones” in 1974, “Transparent Ice” in 1976, “Quiet Voices” in 1978, “I Am Still a Child” in 1982 and “Giant Children” in 1988.
Among his best-known works is “Sons of the Great Wolf,” a collection of stories about his father, Bauyrzhan Momyshuly, and other prominent figures, including Dinmukhamed Kunayev, Zeynolla Kabdolov, and Sherkhan Murtaza. His other books include “The Wolf’s Heart,” “Refraction of Light,” “The Legend of the Princes of Time,” “The Appearance of the Blue Tauyeke,” “A Bird’s Trail in the Sky” and “Voices of the Children of the Sun,” about conductor Tolepbergen Abdrashev.
Bakhytzhan Momyshuly with his son, Erzhan Momyshuly, and wife, Zeinep Akhmetova. Photo credit: Stories of Different People Youtube channel
His works often focused on real people and explored questions of truth, spirituality and human resilience during periods of profound change. His portrayal of people who endured hardship without losing their sense of purpose became a defining feature of Momyshuly’s literary legacy.
He was elected several times to the governing board of the Union of Writers of Kazakhstan. For his contribution to Kazakh culture and literature, he received several government medals, the Order of Kurmet and a special award from the Union of Writers of Kazakhstan.
A father’s lasting influence
Bauyrzhan Momyshuly remained an important figure throughout his son’s life. The time they spent together was brief, but Bakhytzhan later described it as an invaluable education in life and wisdom.
Recalling their conversations, Momyshuly said that as a child he was often eager to run outside and play with other children, but his father would sometimes stop him, sit him down and tell him stories and parables.
One phrase stayed with him for decades: “You are running away from me for nothing. Wherever you go, I will meet you.”
“After my father’s death, I came to understand the meaning of those words. Wherever I traveled, from Moscow and Volokolamsk to Tashkent, Bishkek or various parts of Kazakhstan, I continued to encounter people who had fought alongside my father, known him or read his books. My father continued to “meet” me through those people and through the enduring legacy of his work,” Momyshuly said.
Momyshuly died in 2012 at age 71. In 2018, a memorial plaque was installed on the facade of the Almaty house where he and his family lived from 1986 to 2012, at the intersection of Kaldayakov and Gogol streets.
