Today marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the classic children’s literature writer, Berdibek Sokpakbaev. He was born on October 15, 1924, in Kostobe, Narynkol district, Almaty region. He graduated from the Kazakh Pedagogical Institute named after Abai and later completed a Higher Literary Course in Moscow.
For several years, he taught at a rural school. He also worked at the Kazakh Literature newspaper, the Baldyrgan magazine, and the Sh. Aimanov Kazakhfilm studio. Additionally, he served as a literary consultant on children’s literature at the Writers’ Union of Kazakhstan.
Sokpakbaev began his creative journey with poetry, publishing a poetry collection titled Bulak in 1950. He later wrote over 20 stories, novellas, and novels aimed at children and adolescents. His works, such as My Name is Kozha, A Journey into Childhood, There is a Girl on Boztobe, The Dead Do Not Return, and Where Are You, Gauhar?, were translated into many languages of the Soviet Union and other countries, and adapted into stage and screen productions.
In 1967, at the International Festival of Films for Children and Adolescents in Cannes (France), the film My Name is Kozha (written by B. Sokpakbaev) received a special award.
He was honored with the Certificate of Merit from the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR.
