Tersky District Tersky District is the name of several administrative and municipal districts in Russia: * Tersky District, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, an administrative and municipal district of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic *Tersky District, Murmansk Obl ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, death_date = , death_place = Nalchik,

Kabardino-Balkaria The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (russian: Кабарди́но-Балка́рская Респу́блика, ''Kabardino-Balkarskaya Respublika''; kbd, Къэбэрдей-Балъкъэр Республикэ, ''Ķêbêrdej-Baĺķêr Respublik� ...

, RSFSR,

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, resting_place = Nalchik,
Volny Aul Cemetery , occupation = Writer, lyricist, playwright , years_active = 1930–1985 , known_for = Lyrics for Children , spouse = Lyolya Kupova (m. 1913–1999) , parents = Kamiza Shomakhov, Gushaney Maksidova , children = Tamara Shomakhova,
Sultan Shomakhov , signature = Amirkhan Shomakhov Signature.svg Amirkhan Kamizovich Shomakhov (russian: Амирхáн Ками́зович Шомáхов; kbd, Щомахуэ Амырхъан Къамызэ и къуэр; − 13 July 1988) was a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

Kabardian lyrics, prose, and play writer, primarily known as one of the founders of the Kabardian

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

. People's Poet of the Kabarda-Balkar ASSR (1977). Member of the

Union of Soviet Writers The Union of Soviet Writers, USSR Union of Writers, or Soviet Union of Writers (russian: Союз писателей СССР, translit=Soyuz Sovetstikh Pisatelei) was a creative union of professional writers in the Soviet Union. It was founded ...

since 1949. Member of the

CPSU "Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first) Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspaper ...

since 1938.

Biography

Amirkhan Shomakhov was born in the village of Kanshuei of the Terskaya oblast of the

(in what is now Nizhnii Kurp of the

of the

Kabardino-Balkar Republic The Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (russian: Кабарди́но-Балка́рская Респу́блика, ''Kabardino-Balkarskaya Respublika''; kbd, Къэбэрдей-Балъкъэр Республикэ, ''Ķêbêrdej-Baĺķêr Respublik� ...

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

Education

In his early childhood Shomakhov studied at a

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

in his native village. After the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...

he finished a primary school and entered a secondary educational institution called The Lenin's Campus in the city of Nalchik. In 1933 he graduated from the Northern Caucasus Pedagogical Institute in Ordzhonikidze (

Vladikavkaz Vladikavkaz (russian: Владикавка́з, , os, Дзæуджыхъæу, translit=Dzæwdžyqæw, ;), formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () and Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Russia. It is located i ...

North Ossetia-Alania North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

). In 1955 he also finished the

Higher Party School Education in the Soviet Union was guaranteed as a constitutional right to all people provided through state schools and universities. The education system that emerged after the establishment of the Soviet Union in 1922 became internationally ren ...

of the Central Committee of the

Employment

During his lifetime Amirkhan Shomakhov worked as lecturer, editor, and official in governmental and civic institutions. * 1933-1936 ''Nalchik Pedagogical College (teacher, deputy principal, principal)'' * 1935-1936 ''Military service'' * 1938-1940 ''Republican newspaper (editor-in-chief)'' * 1941-1941 ''CPSU committee of the Baksansky District, KBR (chairman)'' * 1941-1943 ''People's Commissariat of Education of KBR (comissar)'' * 1943-1945 ''Republican newspaper, KBR (editor-in-chief)'' * 1945-1946 ''CPSU committee of the Baksansky District, KBR (chairman)'' * 1947-1949 ''Kabardian Publishing House (director)'' * 1949-1952 ''Ministry of Education of KBR (minister)'' * 1952-1955 ''All-Union Znanie Society, KBR (executive secretary)'' * 1955-1957 ''Republican newspaper, KBR (vice editor-in-chief)'' * 1957-1960 ''Literary magazine «Oshkhamahue», KBR (editor-in-chief)'' * 1965-1970 ''Republican Union of Writers, KBR (executive secretary)''

Literary works

Trial of the pen

For the first time Shomakhov's lyrics saw the light of the day in 1933 (in a literary collection «First Step»).

Prose

Shomakhov is the author of novels ''Kolkhoz Under Fire'' (1958) and ''Dawn Over the Terek'' (1968; Russian translation, 1972). The former tells about the events of the war years, and the latter concerns the Civil War and the first years of Soviet power in the Kabardian Republic. He also wrote a novel titled ''Horsemen on the Peaks'' (1970), about formation of the working class in Kabardino-Balkaria.

Poetry for Children

Amirkhan Shomakhov was truly a dedicated kids writer. A Moscow publishing house «Detskaya Literatura» in 1969 highly appraised his poem «Scouts». In 1970 he was nominated for the State award named after N. Krupskaya. His books have been translated into many of the languages of the peoples of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. Here is an abstract from his poemette translated to English by Margaret Wettlin: POOR LITTLE MUKHADIN kbd, МУХЬЭДИН КЪЫЩЫЩIАР Always something bad befalls me,
I'm always on the outs with luck,
Every day the teacher calls me
To the board, and there I'm stuck.
Yesterday I couldn't tell her
Where our country gets its tea,
I lost my pen, I lost my speller —
What a life for such as me!

Family

*Father: Kamiza Shomakhov
kbd, Щомахуэ Къамызэ. *Mother: Maksidova GuashaneMaksidova, A.A., Maksidovs' Genealogical Line, in Genealogy of the North Caucasus. № 10. – Nalchik, 2004, pp. 118, 120;
kbd, Махъсыд Гуащэнэ Тепсорыкъуэ и пхъур. *Wife: Lyolya Kupova
kbd, Куп Лёлэ Мац и пхъур
− 26 January 1999. * Amirkhan and Lyolya had 2 children: the daughter, Tamara and the son, Sultan.

Honours and Awards

Titles of honor

* Honored Man of Art of Kabardino-Balkaria (1949). * People's Poet of Kabardino-Balkaria (1977).

Decorations

Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus" The Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus" (russian: Медаль «За оборону Кавказа») was a World War II campaign medal of the Soviet Union. Medal history The Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus" was established on May ...

(1944). *

Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (russian: медаль «За доблестный труд в Великой Отечественной войне 1941–1945 гг.») was a World War II civilian labour awar ...

(1945). *

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour (russian: орден «Знак Почёта», orden "Znak Pochyota") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding ...

(1957). *

(1970). *

Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" (1970). * 30 years of victory rib

Medal "Thirty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (1976).

Memory

* The City Council of Nalchik, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Amirkhan Shomakhov's birth, disposed to erect a commemorative plaque on the facade of the poet's residence house.

Bibliography

* The Great Soviet Encyclopedia / ed. Marron Waxman. - 3-rd Edition. - New York : Mac-Millan, Inc., 1970—1979; * Kozhevnikov, V., Nikolaeva P., Literary Encyclopedic Dictionary, Soviet Encyclopedia, Moscow, 1987; * Kodzokova, L.R., Kabardian Poetry for Children of the Present Period: Topics and Poetics // Current Problems of the Humanitarian and Natural sciences. Moscow. – 2017. – No. 7; (russian: Кодзокова, Л.Р., Кабардинская детская поэзия на современном этапе: тематика и поэтика // Актуальные проблемы гуманитарных и естественных наук. Москва. – 2017. – № 7) * Writers of Kabardino-Balkaria (XIXc. - end of 80-s of XXc.). Bibliographic Dictionary / ed. Khazhkhozheva, R.H., Nalchik: El-Fa, 2003; (russian: Писатели Кабардино-Балкарии XIX – конец 80-х гг ХХ в. Библиографический словарь / гл. ред. Р. Х . Хашхожева. Нальчик: Эль-фа. – 2003); * Maksidova, A.A., Maksidovs' Genealogical Line, in Genealogy of the North Caucasus. No. 10. – Nalchik, 2004; (russian: Максидова, А.А. Генеалогия рода Максидовых // Генеалогия Северного Кавказа. – Нальчик : Северо-Кавказское генеалогическое общество. – 2004. – № 10).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shomakhov, Amirkhan Kamizovich Russian children's writers Russian lyricists Soviet children's writers Soviet male writers 20th-century Russian male writers Soviet poets Russian male poets Communist Party of the Soviet Union members 1910 births 1988 deaths