A book of rare WWII frontline letters "Khat zhazdym kalam alyp kan maidannan" was presented in Astana

In honor of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, the Eurasian National University hosted a presentation of the book "Khat zhazdym kalam alyp kan maidannan", which contains unknown archival letters of Kazakh heroes from the front.

The event was attended by prominent government and public figures: Kuanysh Sultanov, ENU Rector, academician of NAS RK Yerlan Sydykov, writer-publicist Sauytbek Abdrakhmanov, journalist-writer Zhanat Yelchibekov, ex-deputy of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of RK Darkhan Mynbai, author of the state Emblem of RK Zhandarbek Malibekov, writer Sharbanu Beisenova, scientists, students, etc..

The work contains letters of welcome, lyrical compositions, poems by famous WWII heroes Bauyrzhan Momyshuly, Malik Gabdullin, Azilkhan Nurshaikhov, Aliya Moldagulova, and 130 unknown soldiers.

In addition, the collection contains memoirs of the Head of State K.Tokayev about his father's brother Kasym, who did not return from the front.

Rector of the L.N.Gumilyov ENU, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Academician of NAS RK Yerlan Sydykov emphasized during his speech that the folio was prepared by scientists of the Eurasian National University.

"The peculiarity of this work is that these letters from the front have never been made public before and were taken from family personal archives during the search. Further research in this direction will continue, because many families have a lot of such letters. Millions of emails have not been published yet. In order to understand the true grief of the war, there are not enough archival materials, books, and films. The true image of war is revealed by such letters from soldiers who were on the battlefield of a bloody battle and wrote heartfelt lines to their relatives. Thanks to this, we will be able to show the general public the cruel face of war and understand the value of peace on earth," Yerlan Sydykov said.   

As you know, most of the letters were taken from the collection of rare books and manuscripts of the National Academy of Sciences of RK. 

When sorting the letters, the book reflected various life trials, patterns of speech patterns, the general mood and mindset of the people during the harsh, difficult years. One of the goals of the collection is to preserve the names of missing Kazakh soldiers in history through their own letters.

According to the statesman and public figure Kuanysh Sultanov, it is impossible to read this book calmly.

"The book is filled with fates and history. It’s a huge treasure. I think it is important for the current generation to know what war is in order to understand the value of peace. I urge you to remember the heroism of our grandfathers who fell victims in the war. I believe that this will play a significant role in maintaining peace and prosperity in the country," the speaker said.

Writer, laureate of the State Prize of RK Sauytbek Abdrakhmanov, ex-deputy of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of RK Darkhan Mynbai, author of the State Emblem of RK Zhandarbek Malibekov, writer Sharbanu Beisenova and others also spoke during the event.

According to the scientists, further research will be published in the format of a book series.