Osmonov, Alykul

Born 1915 in Kaptal-Aryk ail (village), present-day Kalininskoe Raion, Kirghiz SSR; died Dec. 27, 1950, in Frunze. Soviet Kirghiz poet.

In 1933, Osmonov graduated from the pedagogical technicum in Frunze. He worked as a journalist. His first works were published in 1930, and his first poetry collection, Songs of the Dawn, appeared in 1935. Osmonov was the author of the collections Starry Youth (1937), Cholponstan (1937), Love (1945), and New Songs (1949).

A talented lyric poet, Osmonov boldly introduced into Kirghiz poetry not only new themes but also a new use of imagery that was in keeping with the requirements of socialist realism. His best works express his love for his native land and its natural beauty and, especially, his admiration for the working people of Kirghizia.

Osmonov also wrote plays, including Kooman the Ranger (1947), Abulkasym Dzhanbolotov (1948), and the comedy-drama You Must Go to Merke (1949). He translated works by A. S. Pushkin, M. Iu. Lermontov, and I. A. Krylov into Kirghiz. Osmonov was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor.