Abilev, Dikhan

Born Oct. 1, 1907. Soviet Kazakh poet. Graduated from the Institute of Journalism in Alma-Ata.

Abilev’s works began to be published in 1928. His first collection of verses, Energy (1937), reflected the life and struggles of Soviet youth. The hero of the poem Shalkyma (1938), the son of a poor peasant, becomes a conscious fighter for a new life. His wartime verses are included in the books From the Heart (1945) and Tulga (1947). He later published a novel in verse called Heart of the Altai (1953; Russian translation 1954; also entitled Banner in the Mountains, 1957) and the narrative poem Fiery Waves (1956), depicting real events that occurred in the mountainous Altai region during the Civil War and the establishment of the Soviet economy. He has been awarded two orders, as well as medals.