Abdulla Alish

Tatar Writer

АБДУЛЛА АЛИШ
Abdulla Alish (Gabdullajan Gabdelbari uly Alishev) was born on September 15, 1908, in the village of Köyek, Kuybyshev District, Tatarstan. His father, Gabdelbari, subscribed to various newspapers and magazines at home and tried to teach his children the value of work from an early age, aiming to raise them as educated and well-mannered individuals.
Abdulla’s mother, Gaziza, was also considered a well-read woman among the villagers. She loved literature and enjoyed composing poems and folk ballads (bayts).
During his school years, Alish excelled in his studies and took the lead in organizing drama and literature clubs, concerts, wall newspapers, and handwritten journals. He also wrote poems and short stories himself.
His first stories were published in a newspaper when he was 21 years old.
Abdulla Alish wrote extensively for both children and adults. His short stories were warmly received by readers. However, the genre that truly elevated Alish to the status of a beloved children’s author was the fairy tale. His first tale, “The Greedy King”, was published in issue No. 2 of the magazine Pioner Kaleme (“Pioneer’s Pen”) in 1934 and was enthusiastically welcomed by young readers. In the years that followed (1935–1940), Alish created more than twenty fairy tales.
When the Great Patriotic War began, Alish was sent to the front in July 1941. On October 12 of that year, he was taken prisoner. While in captivity, he met Musa Jalil and his comrades, and together they carried out resistance activities against the enemy. On August 25, 1944, at exactly 12:12 p.m., he was executed. He lived only 35 years.
But death did not end his legacy. His life continues through his literary works and through the personal heroism he showed for his homeland and people, for their freedom and happiness.