Quote by Chingiz Aitmatov: “Man remembers everything, even what he wants to forget.”

This statement reflects on the indelible nature of memory, suggesting that our past experiences, even painful ones, remain with us despite our efforts to suppress them. It highlights the persistent power of memory in shaping our present selves.

The novel 'The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years' explores the collective and individual memory of historical events and their impact on identity, particularly in the context of Soviet history and folklore.

Kyrgyz novelist who wrote primarily in Russian and Kyrgyz and became one of the most celebrated literary voices of Soviet Central Asia. His novels The Day Lasts More Than a Hundred Years and The White Ship drew on Kyrgyz oral tradition, landscape, and mythology to explore themes of memory, loss, and cultural identity. He later served as the Soviet ambassador to Luxembourg.