Famous people of Mari El

Sergei G. Chavayn (Grigoriev) - Mari poet and playwright. One of the most famous writers of the Mari land. The author of poems, short stories, novels, plays and numerous translations of Russian classics , among which
there are plays "The Marriage", "Thunderstorm,” “A Profitable Post." After the October Revolution, he wrote works for the 1-st Soviet mobile theater: Mari plays "Autonomy" and "The sun rises, the black clouds disappear.” Chavayn’s works have been translated into other languages.

Не was born on October,6 1888 in the village of Little Karamas, now Morkinski district of the republic of Mari El, in a poor peasant family. His father, Gregory Mikhailov, was a peasant. His mother, Tatiana Anisimovna, was a gifted storyteller, she knew a lot of folk tales and songs, to which she attached his son.
In 1908 he graduated from Kazan Teachers' Seminary. In the same year he released his book of short stories and poems from the past of the Mari people.
In 1915 he went to the city of Aral, Kazakhstan, trying to escape from police custody, becoming a schoolteacher.
In 1919 he returned to the Mari Republic and started working in the newspaper “Yoshkar keche”, later becoming its editor.
In 1923 he returned to teaching at school.
In 1927 he returned to journalism. In 1934 he became a member of the Writers' Union. Was literary director of the Mari State Theater.
In 1937, Sergei Chavain was arrested and in the same year he was shot.
In 1956 he was rehabilitated.

His works are:
• «Oto" (eng. "Grove") (1905), the poem - the first Mari writing poetry.
• «The Wild Duck" (1912), the play - a satire on the king's officials.
• «Autonomy" (1920), the play.
• «The sun rises, the black clouds dissipate" (1921), the play is devoted to the revolution and civil war.
• «Apiary (1928), the play.
• «Akpatyr" (1935), a historical drama about the involvement of the Mari people in the Peasants War of 1773-1775, led by EI Pugacheva.
• «Elnet" (Part 1, 1936, Part 2, published in 1963) a novel about ideological growth of ethnic minority intellectuals and peasants in the period 1908-1917.

Shketan - one of the classics of Mari literature. He was also a journalist, one of the leaders of the Mari national theater.
Yakov Pavlovich was born on October 17, 1898.
After graduating from four-year school in his village, he entered the Ernurskoe school. Even then, the boy begins to look closely to life, vaguely understand the injustice of the existing order.
After graduating from college in 1912, he wanted to continue his studies, tried to enter the Kukarskikh teachers' seminary, but was not accepted due to insufficient knowledge of the law of God, which he disliked.
After this, M. Shketan living at home, helped his father on the farm. He persistently engaged himself in self-education, reading. In February 1917, the future writer was called to the royal army. Along with thousands of ordinary people, he came face to face with a terrifying social injustice, and saw a bloody face of war. Enthusiastically having met the victory of the October Revolution, in 1918 M. Shketan due to his illness returns home for a number of years working in various Soviet institutions.
In June 1920 he was invited to work in the Department for Nationalities in Yaransk county executive committee. In the summer of 1921, in connection with the creation of the Mari Autonomous Region, M. Shketan moved to Krasnokokshaisk, where he worked in the provincial land department, and since August 1922, he is executive secretary of the editorial board of the regional newspaper "Yoshkar keche.”

His works:
1. Erenger: a novel / translated. in Russian. ALyzenvorta. Gorky, 1936. 168.
2. Stories / trans. in Russian. A. Dokukina. Yoshkar-Ola, 1948. 80.
3. Ayyren nälmӹ proizvedenivlä [Selected Works] / trans. on gornomar. Nikolaev, K. Belyaev. Kozmodemyansk, 1948. 48.
4. Ereҥer: a novel / translated. in Russian. A. Dokukina. Yoshkar-Ola, 1950, 1953, 1955.
5. Stories. Yoshkar-Ola, 1951. 308.
6. Erenger: a novel / translated. on gornomar. Kozmodemyansk, 1952. 204., Yoshkar-Ola, 1981. 224 pp.
7. Children: short stories. Yoshkar-Ola, 1953. 64. Life is calling: stories. Yoshkar-Ola, 1953. 232 pp., Yoshkar-Ola, 1955,232 with.
8. Sunrise: play / trans. in Russian. M. Shambadala. Yoshkar-Ola, 1954. 160 pp.
Theatrical productions:
1. Sardai: Drama. (Map. Theatre) 1922, 1927.
2. Achiyzhat-aviyzhat! .. [Oh, my parents ...: drama]. (Map. Theatre), 1923, 1952, 1970, 1981, 1998.
3. Shoshym seҥen [Spring won: drama]. (Map. Theatre) 1924.
4. Shurno [Yield: drama]. (Map. Theatre) 1933.
5. Vazhyk vuyan yydal [Krivonos bast: comedy). (Map. Theatre) 1933.
6. Kodsho rumbyk [last dregs: drama]. (Map. Theatre)

Ivan Stepanovich Palantay (real name - Klyuchnikov, April 11, 1886, the village Kokshamary) - Mari composer.
He was born in a village on the shores of the Great Kokshaga. In 1909 he graduated from the regency courses at the Kazan School of Music. In 1914-1915 he studied at the regency courses at the Court Singing Chapel in St. Petersburg.
Mari has created the first professional choir. From 1919 to 1926, he created a large number of choral works.
Composed song compilations are "Mari textbook Singing" (1923), "Pioneering songs" (1926), "Singing in chorus" (1926).
Compositions: choruses, including "water flow", "Psaltery", "at sunrise."

Yvan Kyrlya is an actor, poet.
He was born on March 17, 1909 in the village Kupsola Sernurski district, now the Republic Mari El. Arrested in 1937. Died in a camp near Sverdlovsk in July, 1943.
He graduated from State College Cinema (now the State Institute of Cinematography).
Significant role in the movie - Mustafa in the film "Road to life”. His eastern face, naughty eyes, an incredible lady's hat are unforgettable. And yet - a wooden spoon tied with a cloth to his cheek. When a sly smile and when he said, "cuckoo" and then ducked into the shelter room, the audience burst into laughter and applause. "Yes, here it is, you can’t find Better Mustafa!”