THE FIRST TEACHER by Chinghiz Aitmatov

The story is told by a painter who sees the world graphically. The chapters describe their small village in the Steppes as a world of beauty and struggle. But the two poplar trees are given a special attention from the start.

These incidents happen in a small village in Kirghistan. Their customs and lifestyle, the difficulties they face are described to the reader so that the reader gets in to the characters and see the world they live in.

The small girl Alteenai goes through her daily life doing her chores and getting beaten up by her stepmother. Suddenly a soldier Duschen from battle fronts comes in to their village with his heart filled with communism and a desire to teach the young ones of his village.

This becomes the turning point of the life of Alteenai. The writer describes how the young soldier starts his school without the help of the fellow villagers. 

When everything is going well Alteenai is married to an old rich man by her step mother. By this time she has fallen in love with her school teacher.

She is fortunate to be rescued from her fate and is sent to a town for a better education. She then becomes a professor.

I see that this story starts from the end. The professor is asked to open the new school building in her village, while her teacher is a forgotten old man who has become the village postman.

This is a truly touching story for me, as I am a great fan of Russian literature. I feel that Russian authors know how to get their readers to live with their characters.

This book is a must read as per my belief.

Kindly post your comments for my improvement.