G. Ibragimov's Biography

The writer, scientist, and public figure Galimdzhan Girfanovich Ibragimov was born on March 12, 1887 in the village Sultanmuratovo in the district of Sterlitamakski of the Ufa province (now the area Aurgazinsky of the Republic of Bashkorto stan). He received his initial formation in a rural medrece (Islamic school) and in a Russian elementary school. From 1906 to 1908, in Ufa he was trained in the medrece "Galiya." The first story of Ibragimov, "The Expulsion of Zaks by a Shakird from a Medrece," appeared in 1907 in the newspaper "Reform." Among his first stories were, "Victim of love," "Destiny of the Tatars" (the first variant) and his historical work, "The Culture of Ancient Islam." In 1909, G. Ibragimov moved to Kazan and decided to devote himself to literary work and he published his first large work in 1912, "Young Hearts," which gained him much popularity. During this period (1909-1912) his creative potential bloomed in full force. He wrote the stories, "The Beginning of Spring," "To the Sea," "Love and Happiness," and more. From 1915 to 1917, G. Ibragimov taught in the medrece "Galiya" in Ufa. He wrote the stories "Shepherds," "Child ren of Nature," and the novel, "Our Days," and the scientific and pedagogical works, "Grammar of the Tatar Language," "New Literature," and "Technique of Teaching the Native Language."

After the February Revolution of 1917 in Russia, Galimdzhan Ibragimov and Saifi Faizi issued the tatar newspaper "Freedom" in Sterlitamak, and from September of 1917, he edited the tatar newspaper "Our Way." The first volume of the literary, art and political magazine, "Our Way," was published in May of 1922 in the tatar language. It was the predecessor of the present edition, "Fires of Kazan." Through this magazine created by Galimdzhan Ibragimov, tatar readers, for the first time, became familiar with H. Taktasha, S. Kamala, S. Usmanova, K. Nadzhmi, A. Kutuja and other writers.

He also became one of the organizers and the editor of the magazine, "Education." G. Ibragimov was one of the leaders and founders of the leftist Tatar-Bashkir Muslim Party, the Esers. In 1918, he became one of the organizers of the Commissariat on Affairs of Moslems in Internal Russia. From 1920 to 1924, he was an employee of the publishing department of the Central Bureau of Communist People of the East at the Central Committee RKP (Russian Communist Party), and a teacher at the Communist University in Kazan. From 1925 to 1927, he was chairman of the Academic Center of Education at the national commisariat and the coordinator of translation of a tatar language edition of the compositions of V. Lenin.

The last years of his life (from 1927), G. Ibragimov fell ill in Crimea (Yalta) where he was arrested and transported to Kazan. He died the 21st of January, 1938, in a prison hospital. He was exonerated posthumously.