March 13 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of the People's Poet of Kalmykia, laureate of the State Prize of the USSR David Kugultinov (03/13/1922 - 06/17/2006).
I am proud that I, still a young man who was just starting his life journey, had such a mentor and friend as David Nikitich. I'm proud to have interacted with one of the greatest men of our time. All my life the poetry of David Nikitich Kugultinov for me is like a breath of air from my native steppe.
A classic of Kalmyk literature, a legendary poet, a symbol of a people with a difficult fate. The rich creative biography of Kugultinov is also the story of his life: unusual, interesting, difficult, but accompanied by tireless work. Each work of David Nikitich is included in the poetic treasury of the world.
He wrote his first poem at the age of 12. At the age of 18, he was admitted to the Union of Writers of the Soviet Union. A veteran of the Great Patriotic War, a prisoner of the Stalinist camps, the author of more than 80 books, a Hero of Socialist Labour, a laureate of the State Prizes of the USSR and Russia, David Kugultinov is a Zlatoust of the Kalmyk people. His poems have been read by representatives of different nationalities for more than half a century. Many lines of his works have long become aphorisms.
He always emphasized the inviolability of the unity of the history of our steppe people with the history of great Russia. David Nikitich Kugultinov perfectly mastered the Kalmyk language, knew and appreciated it. For me, his works are both good advice and a lesson in life.
David Kugultinov's birthday is Kalmyk Poetry Day. Millions of fans of the great poet's work note that David Kugultinov’s poems are beyond time and space. He always defended the ideas of humanism, was faithful to the ideas of light and goodness.
Editor’s note: David Kugultinov considered Kirsan Ilyumzhinov his student. According to Kugultinov, who knew Ilyumzhinov from childhood, Kirsan Nikolaevich is a pragmatist, superbly educated and intelligent.
