Chinghiz Aitmatov

1928 - Born 12 December in the village of Sheker, Talas region, Kirgizia.

1943-1952 - Assistant to the Secretary of the Sheker Village Soviet.

- Attended the Animal Husbandry Division of the Kirghiz Agricultural Institute in Frunze

- Gave up the study of livestock and took up study of literature at the Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow instead.

1952 - Publication of two stories in Russia: The Newspaper Boy Dziuio and Ashim. His first story written in Kirghiz was Ak jann ("White Rain"), which appeared in 1954.

1958-1966 - worked as roving correspondent for Pravda in Kirghizia

1967 - He became a member of the Executive Board of the Soviet Writers Union, and in 1968 he won the Soviet

State Prize for literature for his novel Farewell, Gulsary!

1964-1985 - First Secretary and Chairman of the Cinema Union of Kirghizia

1977-1983 - Was named a Hero of Socialist Labor in 1978.