Chinghiz Torekulovich Aitmatov (12 December 1928 10 June 2008) was a Kyrgyz author who wrote mainly in Russian, but also in Kyrgyz. He is one of the best-known figures in Kyrgyzstan's literature. Aitmatov was honored in 1963 with the Lenin Prize for Tales of the Mountains and Steppes (a compilation including Jamila, The First Teacher and Farewell, Gulsary!) and was later awarded a State prize for Farewell, Gulsary! His work also touches on Kyrgyzstan s transformation from the Russian empire to a republic of the USSR and the lives of its people during the transformation. This is prevalent in Farewell, Gulsary! Although the short story touches on the idea of friendship and loyalty between a man and his stallion, it also serves a tragic allegory of the political and USSR government. It explores the loss and grief that many Kyrgyz faced.