Nurmurad Saryhanov –the outstanding Turkmen writer, one of the founders of modern Turkmen literature, whose productions were translated into many languages of the world. He lived not long life marked with bright talent, but having become particularly favorite writer of the Turkmen people. His small tales and heartfelt stories turned out weightier of many tomes, which he had not time to write, having lived about forty years.
Having served over a long period of time – from 1929 to 1937 – Saryhanov works his way up from war correspondent to executive secretary of the editorial office of the military newspaper. Here, from items and reports, he passed on to articles and feature stories, which were followed by stories and novels.
From 1937 to 1941, the writer worked in the editorial offices of the republican newspapers and of a literary and art magazine. These years turned out to be the most fruitful in his life – he wrote a series of novels and his famous story “Shukur-bakhshy”. From ordinary journalist, he turned into a real writer, exacting and fastidious master, and literary artist.
When the war started, he went to the front. Fighting in the units of the 2nd Ukrainian front, the Turkmen writer participated in liberation of Ukraine and Moldavia from Hitlerite aggressors. The story “Mother” dated December 15, 1943 was sent by him from the front. It is the last production of the writer. On May 4, 1944, Nurmurad Saryhanov fell in battle. Together with other soldiers, he was buried in the common grave in the Moldavian village Delakeu near Bender.
Translator and friend of the Turkmen writer Alexander Aborski remembers about him: “a modest, delicate person… it seems that he was slightly done out of his share in life, but never complains of life and demands nothing for him… At the same time, he possesses a reserve of huge intellectual energy, outstanding culture. He is the literary artist, outstanding and original”.
Nurmurad Saryhanov created stories about his time. They are full of worldly, exciting and it is necessary to know conditions of those years to appraise and understand their significance. Characters of his rural stories are ordinary people with their thoughts, concerns, uneasiness, feelings and experiences. Images created by the writer are quite bright that stay in memory for a long time. They excite us and make us empathize with them, for example, Komek and Ogulgerek from the story “The Last Yurta”. The family moves to a new place they dreamed about. But, there are many recollections connected with the old yurta formerly presented by the mother of Ogulgerek; the family leaves its yurta weepingly.
Ogulgerek asks the old man to take their yurta to the settlement to set it next to a new house. Though Komek is geared up decidedly, even ready to “burn decrepit to ashes”, his heart is heavy. The proverb says ‘offending antiquity, one can lose everything’. “Sayings, grandfathers’ customs – good, and it is a sin to forget them”, - thinks Velmyrat aga – another character, the hero of the short story “Book”. He gave an in-colt female camel, provider of the family for a manuscript of poems and goes home on foot three days. Firstly, we feel sad reading about illiterate man, who ruined his home, having purchased an expensive manuscript. Neither he nor others in the village can read it. But then, our attitude to the hero changes and at the end of the story, this old man, who desired to purchase the priceless manuscript, which content he knew by heart, appears very touching. The short story “Book” filled with deep meaning opens whole epoch in the history of the Turkmen people, shows tender attitude of ordinary people to the cultural values of the ancestors.
The romantic story “Shukur-bakhshy” became widely popular and particularly favorite by the readers. In contrast to other productions of Saryhanov, actions in it take place in the ancient feudal period. The writer constructed the story from real happened events. The brave and courageous musician Shukur-bakhshy goes to a khan of an alien country to get his brother out of dungeon. He is unarmed, his only weapon – dutar. He makes not easy decision – to compete with the well-known court bakhshy, understanding that on the outcome of the duel depends return of his brother to the native village or his remaining as a prisoner of the khan. Scene of the contest of the two well-known musicians was described with wonderful expressiveness. One of them tries to achieve success for the sake of the brother and the other does his best for preservation of position of the court musician.
Film version of the story “Shukur-bakhshy” was made. The film shot to the story of this production by Bulat Mansurov got its screening in 1963 under the name “Contest”.
Time is the best connoisseur of any creativity. So, it is turned out that it is the story “Shukur-bakhshy” that gained wider popularity and won the love of readers.
Famous poet and wise man of the East Saadi considered that every human being has to devote one-third part of his life to creativity to leave “stamp of soul” for his progeny. It is the story “Shukur-bakhshy” that became “stamp of soul” of Turkmen writer Nurmurad Saryhanov.
Having served over a long period of time – from 1929 to 1937 – Saryhanov works his way up from war correspondent to executive secretary of the editorial office of the military newspaper. Here, from items and reports, he passed on to articles and feature stories, which were followed by stories and novels.
From 1937 to 1941, the writer worked in the editorial offices of the republican newspapers and of a literary and art magazine. These years turned out to be the most fruitful in his life – he wrote a series of novels and his famous story “Shukur-bakhshy”. From ordinary journalist, he turned into a real writer, exacting and fastidious master, and literary artist.
When the war started, he went to the front. Fighting in the units of the 2nd Ukrainian front, the Turkmen writer participated in liberation of Ukraine and Moldavia from Hitlerite aggressors. The story “Mother” dated December 15, 1943 was sent by him from the front. It is the last production of the writer. On May 4, 1944, Nurmurad Saryhanov fell in battle. Together with other soldiers, he was buried in the common grave in the Moldavian village Delakeu near Bender.
Translator and friend of the Turkmen writer Alexander Aborski remembers about him: “a modest, delicate person… it seems that he was slightly done out of his share in life, but never complains of life and demands nothing for him… At the same time, he possesses a reserve of huge intellectual energy, outstanding culture. He is the literary artist, outstanding and original”.
Nurmurad Saryhanov created stories about his time. They are full of worldly, exciting and it is necessary to know conditions of those years to appraise and understand their significance. Characters of his rural stories are ordinary people with their thoughts, concerns, uneasiness, feelings and experiences. Images created by the writer are quite bright that stay in memory for a long time. They excite us and make us empathize with them, for example, Komek and Ogulgerek from the story “The Last Yurta”. The family moves to a new place they dreamed about. But, there are many recollections connected with the old yurta formerly presented by the mother of Ogulgerek; the family leaves its yurta weepingly.
Ogulgerek asks the old man to take their yurta to the settlement to set it next to a new house. Though Komek is geared up decidedly, even ready to “burn decrepit to ashes”, his heart is heavy. The proverb says ‘offending antiquity, one can lose everything’. “Sayings, grandfathers’ customs – good, and it is a sin to forget them”, - thinks Velmyrat aga – another character, the hero of the short story “Book”. He gave an in-colt female camel, provider of the family for a manuscript of poems and goes home on foot three days. Firstly, we feel sad reading about illiterate man, who ruined his home, having purchased an expensive manuscript. Neither he nor others in the village can read it. But then, our attitude to the hero changes and at the end of the story, this old man, who desired to purchase the priceless manuscript, which content he knew by heart, appears very touching. The short story “Book” filled with deep meaning opens whole epoch in the history of the Turkmen people, shows tender attitude of ordinary people to the cultural values of the ancestors.
The romantic story “Shukur-bakhshy” became widely popular and particularly favorite by the readers. In contrast to other productions of Saryhanov, actions in it take place in the ancient feudal period. The writer constructed the story from real happened events. The brave and courageous musician Shukur-bakhshy goes to a khan of an alien country to get his brother out of dungeon. He is unarmed, his only weapon – dutar. He makes not easy decision – to compete with the well-known court bakhshy, understanding that on the outcome of the duel depends return of his brother to the native village or his remaining as a prisoner of the khan. Scene of the contest of the two well-known musicians was described with wonderful expressiveness. One of them tries to achieve success for the sake of the brother and the other does his best for preservation of position of the court musician.
Film version of the story “Shukur-bakhshy” was made. The film shot to the story of this production by Bulat Mansurov got its screening in 1963 under the name “Contest”.
Time is the best connoisseur of any creativity. So, it is turned out that it is the story “Shukur-bakhshy” that gained wider popularity and won the love of readers.
Famous poet and wise man of the East Saadi considered that every human being has to devote one-third part of his life to creativity to leave “stamp of soul” for his progeny. It is the story “Shukur-bakhshy” that became “stamp of soul” of Turkmen writer Nurmurad Saryhanov.
