Kyrgyzstan: Death of Fabled Writer Creates Cultural Void

Chinghiz Aitmatov, a writer who rose from humble roots in Soviet Central Asia to become a standard-bearer for freedom and independence, was laid to rest in his native country of Kyrgyzstan in June. Some Kyrgyz have likened the impact of his passing on their Central Asian nation to Russia's loss of Lev Tolstoy in the early 20th century.

Unfortunately for Kyrgyzstan, given the destitute situation with the arts today, another Aitmatov is not likely to appear for a long time.

Aitmatov was six months short of his 80th birthday when he succumbed to pneumonia in Germany on June 10. He was born in 1928 in the Soviet republic of Kirghizia and raised by his mother after his father, a respected Communist official, disappeared amid the Stalinist purges.

Aitmatov was branded as a son of an "enemy of the people" and denied entrance to university on account of his