Tschingis Aitmatow

Chinghiz Aitmatov (1928–2008) was a Kyrgyz writer. He studied veterinary medicine and later attended the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow. After his first publications, he worked, among other positions, as an editor at the newspaper Pravda and later served in diplomatic roles. He gained international recognition with the novella “Jamilya” (also published as “Djamila”), which Louis Aragon translated into French and described as one of the most beautiful love stories. Before pursuing a literary career, Aitmatov worked, among other jobs, on a collective farm, as a tax collector, and as a warehouse worker.