― 30 апреля 2013 г.
Commemoration of the Poet and Author of the Karachay Balkar People Bert Gurtuyev and Culture Days of Caucasia
In commemoration of Bert Gurtuyev, the poet and author of the Karachay Balkar People, the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY), will hold commemoration meetings as well as Culture Days of Caucasia in Ankara, Konya and Eskisehir on May 27th-29th, 2013, in cooperation with the Lermatov Committee of Russia, the Karachay Balkar Culture Association, the Golbasi Association for the Union of Caucasia, the Municipality of Golbasi, the Governorate of Eskisehir and the Municipality of Odunpazari. These events will take place at the dates and venues mentioned below:
- Ankara: May 27th, 2013, 07.00 p.m., Golbasi Mehmet Akif Ersoy Cultural Center
- Konya: May 28th, 2013, 07.00 p.m., State Theatre of Konya
- Eskisehir: May 29th, 2013, 07.00 p.m., at the Yunus Emre Cultural Center within the framework of events held to celebrate "Eskisehir, the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2013”.
This commemoration event will gather Ministers, Members of Parliaments as well as scholars and artists from the Republic of Kabardino Balkaria (RF).
The commemoration event will feature poem readings of Bert Gurtuyev and a film on his life and work as well as performances of dance ensembles.
This event to commemorate Bert Gurtuyev, the famous author and poet from Kabardino Balkaria will also be an opportunity for all participants to receive and exchange information on Caucasian culture.
Who is Bert Gurtuyev?
The the famous author and poet from Kabardino Balkaria, Bert Gurtuyev was bor in 1910 in one of the villages of Balkaria called Ak-Suv. He spent a rather unhappy childhood in extreme poverty. His parents died when he was still a very young child so he grew up as an orphan. Fortunately, his uncle Biyaslan taught him to read and write in Arabic. In 1925, he was sent to the orphanage of Nalchik where he grew up receiving an education which stood under the influence of the communist ideology. He started writing his first poems in 1928. These poems were published in the newspapers "Karahalk” and Lenin’s Flag. His first poems deal with the communist class struggle prior to the soviet revolution. In his works, Bert Gurtuyev who praised the Soviet regime criticized opponents thereof. Thus he mainly dealt with issues pertaining to the Second World War and wrote poems in which he expressed his opposition to the war. As other contemporary poets of his time he tried to describe his thoughts in an epic style. His poems praising the Soviet regime did not help him in being considered as a literary author. He remained a people’s poet. Once back in Caucasia, Bert Gurtuyev who spent his years in exile in Kyrgyzstan started rewriting the story of the literature of the Balkar people. His works include: Uv Cılannı Ezerge (Mauling a Venomous Snake), Tört Şahar (Four Cities), Kızıl Önle (Red Voices) (1935), Carık Toy (The Joyful Wedding) (1958), Cangı Talisman (1970), Adilgeriy (1961) and Caşavnu Kılançları (The Sinuous Ways of Life) amongst others.