Musa Cälil ( tt-Cyrl, Муса Җәлил, translit=Musa Çəlil, ; russian: Муса Джалиль; 25 August 1944) was a
Soviet–
Tatar poet and
resistance fighter. He is the only poet of the Soviet Union awarded simultaneously the
Hero of the Soviet Union award for his resistance fighting and the
Lenin Prize for having written ''The Moabit Notebooks''; both awards were bestowed upon him posthumously.
[Mussa Jalil. Selected poems. Poetry of Truth and Passion. Rafael Mustafin, translated by Lydia Kmetyuk. Moscow, Progress Publishers, 1981]
Biography
Early life
Musa Cälil was born in
Mustafino, a village in
Orenburg Governorate, to a family of
junk dealers. He graduated from in
Orenburg
Orenburg (russian: Оренбу́рг, ), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Ural River, southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is also very close to the Kazakhstan-Russia bor ...
. His first published works were revolutionary verses. The Turkic ''
aruz wezni
Aruz wezni, or aruz prosody, is a kind of Turkic poetic rhythm. The earliest founder of this versification system was Khalil ibn Ahmad. There were 16 kinds of modalities of aruz at first. Later Persian scholars added 3 kinds. For example, the Tur ...
'' poetic rhythm is seen in Cälil's early works, which is attributed to ''Gisyanism'' (; гыйсъянизм), a
romantic
Romantic may refer to:
Genres and eras
* The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries
** Romantic music, of that era
** Romantic poetry, of that era
** Romanticism in science, of that e ...
poetic style celebrating revolution that was often found in young Tatar poetry of the 1920s.. In 1919, he joined the underground
Komsomol
The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...
cell in Orenburg (the region was under the control of
White Russians at that time). Then, Musa participated in the
Russian Civil War against pro-White forces; due to his young age, he did not fight at the front, instead serving in a
Red Army unit. In 1920, Cälil returned to his native village, establishing the pro-Communist youth organization The Red Flower there. He also became a Komsomol activist in Mustafino. He represented his village at the governorate Komsomol conference.
Literary life
In 1920, the
Tatar ASSR was established and
Kazan became its capital. In 1922, Musa, along with other Tatar poets, moved to Kazan. During this time, verses that he wrote include "The Red Host", "The Red Holyday", "The Red Hero", "The Red Way", "The Red Force", and "The Red Banner". In Kazan, Cälil worked as copyist for the
''Qьzьl Tatarstan'' newspaper and studied at
rabfak of the Oriental Pedagogical Institute. He became acquainted with Tatar poets such as
Qawi Näcmi,
Hadi Taqtaş, and
Ğädel Qutuy
Qutuyıv Ğädelşa Nurmöxämmät ulı (pronounced ; Tatar Cyrillic: Кутуев Гаделша Нурмөхәммәт улы; russian: Кутуй Адель Нурмухамметович, Kutuy Adel Nurmukhammetovich), better known as Ğäd ...
. In 1924, he became a member of the literary society October, backing
Proletkult. Since that year, his poetry departed from Ghisyanism and aruz and turned to the Tatar folk verse. His first collection of verses, ''Barabız'' (''We are going'') was published in 1925. One concept that the verses dealt with was pre-revolutionary life.
During 1925 and 1926, Cälil became an instructor of
Orsk uyezd Komsomol cell, where he visited Tatar and
Kazakh
Kazakh, Qazaq or Kazakhstani may refer to:
* Someone or something related to Kazakhstan
*Kazakhs, an ethnic group
*Kazakh language
*The Kazakh Khanate
* Kazakh cuisine
* Qazakh Rayon, Azerbaijan
*Qazax, Azerbaijan
*Kazakh Uyezd, administrative dis ...
auls, agitating for Komsomol there. In 1926, he became the member of Orenburg governorate Komsomol committee. In 1927, Musa moved to
Moscow, where he combined his study in the
Moscow State University and job in
Tatar–
Bashkir section of the Central Committee of Komsomol. Cälil joined the
All-Union Communist Party (b)
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),; abbreviated in Russian as or also known by #Name, various other names during its history, was the founding and ruling party of the Soviet Union. The CPSU was the One-party state, sole governing ...
in 1929, which was the same year that his second collection, ''İptäşkä'' (''To the Comrade'';
Yañalif: ''Iptəşkə'') was published. Living in Moscow, Cälil met Russian poets Zharov, Bezymensky, and
Svetlov; Cälil also attended
Vladimir Mayakovsky's performances. He entered the
Moscow Association of Proletarian Writers; he became its third secretary and a leader of its Tatar section. By the end of the 1920s, lyricism appeared in Cälil's poetry.
In 1931, Cälil graduated from the literature faculty of
Moscow University
M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...
. Until 1932, he was a chief editor of the Tatar children's magazine ''Keckenə iptəşlər'', which was later renamed to ''Oktəbr Balasь'' (''
Little Octobrist
Little Octobrists (russian: октября́та, translit=oktyabryata ; singular, russian: октябрёнок, translit=oktyabryonok) is a Soviet term that first appeared in 1923–1924, and at that time referred to children born in 1917, the ...
''). Then, he managed the section of literature and art in the central Tatar newspaper ''Kommunist''. In 1934, Musa Cälil published two collections. The first of them, ''The Millions, Decorated with Orders'' was devoted mostly to youth and Komsomol, whereas in the second, ''Verses and Poems'', was a general compilation of his writing. However, many of his lyrical poems weren't published due to being at conflict with
Stalinism
Stalinism is the means of governing and Marxist-Leninist policies implemented in the Soviet Union from 1927 to 1953 by Joseph Stalin. It included the creation of a one-party totalitarian police state, rapid industrialization, the theory ...
.
In 1935, the first Russian translations of his poems were published. During the 1930s, Cälil also translated to the
Tatar language
Tatar ( or ) is a Turkic languages, Turkic language spoken by Volga Tatars, Tatars mainly located in modern Tatarstan (European Russia), as well as Siberia. It should not be confused with Crimean Tatar language, Crimean Tatar or Siberian Tat ...
writings of poets of the USSR peoples, such as
Shota Rustaveli,
Taras Shevchenko,
Pushkin,
Nekrasov,
Mayakovsky and
Lebedev-Kumach. In the late 1930s, he tended to write epic poems, such as ''The Director and the Sun'' (1935), ''Cihan'' (1935–1938), and ''The Postman'' (1938). As a
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
of the
Tatar State Opera, he wrote four librettos for Tatar operas, one of which is ''Altınçäç'' (''Golden Hair Maiden'') of
Näcip Cihanov.
In 1939 and 1940, he served as the chairman of the Tatar ASSR Union of Writers.
During World War II
After the
Axis invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Cälil volunteered for the Red Army. Graduating
political commissar courses, he arrived at the
Volkhov Front and became a
war correspondent in the ''Otvaga'' newspaper. Cälil also wrote verse, which was at first patriotic but later evolving into lyricism concerning war and people experiencing war.
In June 1942, during the
Lyuban Offensive Operation
The Battle of Lyuban, Lyuban offensive operation or Battle of the Volkhov (7 January 1942 – 30 April 1942) (Russian: Любанская наступательная операция; German: Schlacht am Wolchow) was a Soviet offensive operatio ...
, Cälil's unit was encircled; when his unit tried to run a blockade he became seriously wounded, shell-shocked, and captured. After months in concentration camps for Soviet prisoners of war, including
Stalag-340 in
Daugavpils
Daugavpils (; russian: Двинск; ltg, Daugpiļs ; german: Dünaburg, ; pl, Dyneburg; see other names) is a state city in south-eastern Latvia, located on the banks of the Daugava River, from which the city gets its name. The parts of the c ...
,
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
and
Spandau, Cälil was transferred to
Dęblin, a fortified stronghold in
German-occupied Poland. There, the
Wehrmacht were assembling prisoners of
Idel-Ural and Eastern nationalities in the camp. Cälil responded by forming a resistance group.
In late 1942, the Wehrmacht started forming what they called "
national legions". Among others,
the Idel-Ural legion was formed in
Lager Jedlnia,
General Government
The General Government (german: Generalgouvernement, pl, Generalne Gubernatorstwo, uk, Генеральна губернія), also referred to as the General Governorate for the Occupied Polish Region (german: Generalgouvernement für die be ...
, consisting of prisoners of war belonging to the nations of the
Volga basin. Since the majority of the legion were
Volga Tatars
The Volga Tatars or simply Tatars ( tt-Cyrl, татарлар, tatarlar) are a Turkic ethnic group native to the Volga-Ural region of Russia. They are subdivided into various subgroups. Volga Tatars are Russia's second-largest ethnicity after t ...
, the Germans usually called it the
Volga-Tatar Legion. The Wehrmacht began preparing the legionnaires for action against the Red Army. Cälil joined the
Wehrmacht propaganda unit for the legion under the
false name of Gumeroff. Cälil's group set out to wreck the
National Socialist plans, to convince the men to use the weapons they would be supplied with against the
National Socialists themselves. The members of the resistance group infiltrated the editorial board of the ''Idel-Ural'' newspaper the German command produced, and printed and circulated anti-Hitler leaflets among the legionnaires into esoteric action groups consisting of five men each. The first battalion of the Volga-Tatar Legion that was sent to the
Eastern Front mutinied, shot all the German officers there, and defected to the
Soviet partisans in
Belarus.
Capture and death
On 10 August 1943, he was arrested with his comrades by the
Gestapo and sent to
Moabit Prison in
Berlin. He sat in a cell with
Belgian patriot and resistance fighter
André Timmermans and a
Polish prisoner. Cälil studied the
German language
German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...
in prison to communicate with his cellmates. In prison, he compiled verses composed in the prison into self-made notebooks. He and his group of 12 were sentenced to death on 12 February 1944 and
guillotined at
Plötzensee Prison, Berlin, on August 25 . His body was never recovered.
Prison notebooks
Cälil's first notebook was preserved by the Tatars
Ğabbas Şäripov and then
Niğmät Teregulov, both of whom later died in Stalin's camps. Şäripov was also imprisoned in Moabit and received Cälil's and
Abdulla Aliş
Alişev Ğabdullacan Ğäbdelbari ulı, Alishev Gabdullazyan Gabdulbarievich (15 September 1908 – 25 August 1944), best known as Abdulla Aliş, was a Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. ...
's writings when the prison guards hid from bombing. To preserve the writings, Cälil's group fenced him off.
[ Мусса Джалиль. Моабитские тетради. Татарское книжное издательство. Казань 1963. Составитель - Г. Кашшаф.] The second notebook was preserved by the
Belgian cellmate André Timmermans. Those notebooks were passed to the Tatar ASSR Union of Writers in 1946 and 1947 correspondingly. They were published as two books under the title ''Moabit Däftäre'' (''The Moabit Notebook''). Cälil's widow Äminä Zalyalova gave the originals to the National Museum of
Tatarstan for safekeeping.
One notebook was brought to the Soviet embassy in
Rome by the ethnically Tatar
Turkish citizen Kazim Mirşan in 1946. However, this notebook was lost in the archives of
SMERSH, and pursuits for it since 1979 have had no results.
These notebooks were in
arabic script
The Arabic script is the writing system used for Arabic and several other languages of Asia and Africa. It is the second-most widely used writing system in the world by number of countries using it or a script directly derived from it, and the ...
.
Rehabilitation and recognition

In 1946,
MGB opened a file on Musa Cälil branding him as a traitor. In April 1947, his name was included in the list of wanted "dangerous criminals".
Then Tatar writers and the Tatarstan department of state security proved Cälil's
underground work against the
Third Reich and his death. In 1953, ''The Moabit Notebooks'' were published in Kazan
and the Russian translation also was published in ''
Literaturnaya Gazeta
''Literaturnaya Gazeta'' (russian: «Литературная Газета», ''Literary Gazette'') is a weekly cultural and political newspaper published in Russia and the Soviet Union. It was published for two periods in the 19th century, and ...
'', owing to its editor,
Konstantin Simonov. Musa Cälil was awarded the star of the
Hero of the Soviet Union in 1956 and Literature
Lenin Prize in 1957 for ''The Moabit Notebooks''.
A monument to Musa Cälil is placed near the
Kazan Kremlin; the museum in his flat was opened in Kazan in 1983.
His poetry was popularized in the Soviet Union and the
Warsaw Pact countries.
Soviet Tatar composer
Nazib Zhiganov wrote an "opera-poem" ''
Dzhalil'' based on the life of Cälil. This was premiered in Tatar in Kazan in 1957, and later recorded by conductor
Boris Khaykin for Moscow radio.
Musa Cälil Tatar Library was opened in
Constanța
Constanța (, ; ; rup, Custantsa; bg, Кюстенджа, Kyustendzha, or bg, Констанца, Konstantsa, label=none; el, Κωνστάντζα, Kōnstántza, or el, Κωνστάντια, Kōnstántia, label=none; tr, Köstence), histo ...
,
Romania, in 2014.
The Symphony-poem "Musa Jalil" written by
Soviet Tatar composer
Almaz Monasypov in 1971 was dedicated to the poet. A
minor planet 3082 Dzhalil
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many socie ...
discovered by Soviet astronomer
Tamara Mikhailovna Smirnova in 1972 is named after him.
Writings
Notes
References
External links
*
Images from Cälil's archive
* [http://www.doipo.co.uk/musa_jalil/ Excerpt from Cälil's writing on doipo.co.uk backup page, by Vice-chairman - the creator of the UK Tatar Association and the page dedicated to Musa Cälil's poetry. Vice-chairman left UKTA in June 2013 because of a chairman's offense involving dishonesty deception, such as fraud]
Excerpt from Cälil's writing on UK Tatar Association page. Note by the author of the UKTA website; UKTA website has been collapsed in 2015 due to chairman's lack of knowledge in IT.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calil, Musa
1906 births
1944 deaths
People from Sharlyksky District
People from Orenburgsky Uyezd
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Tatar poets
Translators from Russian
Translators to Tatar
Soviet male writers
Soviet poets
20th-century translators
Moscow State University alumni
Soviet military personnel of World War II
Soviet war correspondents
Soviet partisans
Soviet prisoners of war
Lenin Prize winners
Heroes of the Soviet Union
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
People condemned by Nazi courts
People executed by guillotine at Plötzensee Prison
Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany
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Executed Soviet people from Russia