Mukaghali Makatayev

Mukaghali Makatayev was born on February 9, 1931 in Karasaz village in Narynkol (modern Raiymbek) district of Almaty Region. In 1948-1949 he studied at the Faculty of Philology of the Kazakh State University.

In 1952–1969 he worked in a high school as a teacher of Russian language, a speaker on the Kazakh Radio, an executive secretary of The Soviet border (Kazakh: Советтік шекара) newspaper, a literary contributor to the newspapers Socialist Kazakhstan (Kazakh: Социалистік Қазақстан, Sotsıalıstik Qazaqtan) and Culture and Life (Kazakh: Мәдениет және Тұрмыс, Mádenıet jáne Turmys) and Star (Kazakh: Жұлдыз, Juldyz) magazine. In 1970 he joined the Writers' Union of Kazakhstan. In 1973–1974 he studied in the Moscow Institute of Arts and Letters.[1][2]

Mukaghali Makatayev's poetic works were first published in 1948. He became famous with his poem «Appassionata» (Kazakh: Аппассионата, 1962). The poems "Lenin" (Kazakh: Ленин, Lenın; 1964) and "The Moor" (Kazakh: Мавр, Mavr; 1970) were devoted to Lenin and Marx. Poetry collections Hello Friends (Kazakh: Армысыңдар достар, Armysyńdar dostar 1966), You came, my Swallow? (Kazakh: Қарлығашым келдің бе?, Qarlyǵashym keldiń be?; 1968), Alas, my heart (Kazakh: Дариға жүрек, Darıǵa jurek; 1972), When swans asleep (Kazakh: Аққулар ұйықтағанда, Aqqýlar uıyqtaǵanda 1974), The warmth of life (Kazakh: Шуағым менің, Shýaǵym meniń; 1975), Poem of Life (Kazakh: Өмір-дастан, Ómir-dastan; 1976), River of Life (Kazakh: Өмір-өзен, Ómir-ózen; 1978), Heart sings (Kazakh: Жырлайды жүрек, Jyrlaıdy júrek; 1-2 Books, 1982), Sholpan (Kazakh: Шолпан, Sholpan; 1984) and others entered the golden fund of the Kazakh national poetry. Prose works were included in the collection titled Two Swallows (Kazakh: Қос қарлығаш, Qos qarlyǵash; 1988). Many of Makatayev's poems were turned into songs.[1]

Makatayev translated into the Kazakh language sonnets of William Shakespeare (1970), poems of Walt Whitman (1969), Dante's Divine Comedy (1971), and other literary works.

Mukaghali Makatayev died in Almaty on March 27, 1976, at the age of 45. In 1999 Mukaghali Makatayev was posthumously awarded the State Prize of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the collection of poems under the title «Amanat».[1]