Zhambyl Zhabayev (1846-1945)
A bust monument was erected to the Kazakh folk poet-akyn Zhambyl Zhabayev (1846-1945) in the square of the Abai Opera and Ballet Theater on Kabanbai Batyr Street in 1971. The bust of Zhambyl was made entirely with a pedestal of gray granite according to the model of sculptor H.I. Naurzbayev and architect M.M. Mendikulov. The sculptural image conveys the image of Akyn at the moment of his creative state. On the front side of the pedestal is the text: “Zhambyl. 1846-1945.”. The height of the monument is 4.55 m .
Aitys
One of the peaks of Zhambyl’s creativity is his aitys. In the late XIX and early XX centuries, Zhambyl participated in the competitions of two akyns aitys: in 1881 he defeated akyn Kulmambet, in 1895 – Sarbas, in 1902 – Dosmagambet, in 1909 – Shashubai. Zhambyl and before aitys with Kulmambet participated in small competitions – kayym-aitys His songs sincerely glorified life in the USSR and were widely distributed by the authorities. The figure of the ninety-year-old Dzhambul was presented in the image of an eastern sage-aksakal, greeting the new system and its people. He becomes the most respected akyn of Kazakhstan, and his songs are part of the new way of life of the Kazakh village. Since 1938, he was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR.
Zhambyl’s poetic manner was distinguished by the psychological richness and concreteness of the depiction of life, the sincerity and epic simplicity of the narrative. He combined oral forms with literary ones, poetic passages with prose ones. His songs represent a bright page of Kazakh literature of the Soviet period. The poetry of Dzhambul is connected with the life of ordinary people. Zhambyl called Kazakhs to friendship with the Russian people, he composed many lyrical, everyday, socially satirical songs, heroic poems and fairy tales (“The Dog of Bai Kadyrbai”, “Black Decree”, “Poem of the Angry Heart”, poems “Utegen Batyr”, “Suranshi Batyr”, the tale “Khan and Akyn”, “The Parable of the Lazy”, etc.). When the Great Patriotic War began, private Algadai went to the front Zhambylov, the son of Zhambyl. Zhambyl Zhabayev died on June 22, 1945.
