Berdy Kerbabaev

Berdy Kerbabaev was born in 1894 into a peasant family of Kouki-Zereng of the Tejen Region. He received a traditional schooling at the village and later at the Bukhara schools. In 1917, he attended the Leningrad Institute of Oriental Studies. His literary career begins in 1923 with the publication of a series of satirical verses on the issues of the day. Kerbabaev contributed to the development of Turkmen literature with his collection of verses entitled, The World of a Maiden (1927), Moving Towards the New Life (1928), and Amu Darya (1931). His other contributions include Reality (1931), the first book of Turkmen essays and short stories the novellas Bairam (1934) and Batyr (1935).

Kerbabaev's works criticize the traditiona Islamic ways of Turkmen society, promote the emancipation of women so that they can take an active part alongside men in the creation of the new socialist system.

Kerbabaev's novella entitled Kurban Durdy (1942), his poems entitled Ailar (1943), and a libretto called Abadan (1943) were all published during World War II. His novel called Nrbitdag (1957), about the lives of Turkmen oil workers, however, is his most important contribution to the developement of fiction in Turkmenistan.

Kerbabaev is well known for the stories he has written for children. These include At the Border (1955), Batyr (1957), and the novella entitled The Merry Japbacks (1967). This latter, based on a local folktale, deals with the escapades of four mischievous brothers.

Like Abai Kunanbaev of Kazakhstan, Kerbabaev made an attempt to familiarize Turkmen readers of the classical works of Russian and Soviet authors. To this end, he translated such works as Tolstoy's Haji Murat and Anna Karenina, Gorky's Mother and Sholokhov's Virgin Soil Upturned. He has also translated Pushkin's poems, Krylov's fables, and the verses of the Tatar poet Musa Jalil.

Kerbabaev's last major contribution was his A Drop of Water, a Nugget of Gold. Kerbabaev died in 1974.