Kazakhstan writer Harold Belger awarded with Order of Merit of Germany
Harold Belger was born in 1934 in Engels, former capital city of the Volga German Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1941 by Stalin's Decree he was deported to Kazakhstan as an ethnic German. He studied in a Kazakh secondary school. After then he entered the Kazakh Pedagogical Institute in Almaty (the Abai University at present). After graduation H. Belger worked as a teacher of the Russian language. Since 1964 he has contributed to Zhuldyz journal as a writer and translator. Since 1971 H. Belger is a member of the Union of the Kazakhstan Writers. In 1992 he was appointed Deputy Editor-in-Chief of "Phoenix" German-language Almanac. In 1994-1995 he served as a deputy of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The great merit of H. Belger is that he devoted his oeuvre to the historical research of deportation of the Volga Germans to Central Asia during the World War II and traced their further life, especially their integration in Kazakhstan. He published many books and articles regarding this theme in the Russian, Kazakh and German languages. One of his best known works is "Goethe and Abai" essay written in 1989 in which he compares the works and philosophy of famous German and Kazakh poets Goethe and Abai. Being a member of the Union of the Kazakhstan Writers he considers himself responsible for preservation of the German language literature and mutual understanding between the nations. Therefore the oeuvre and activity of Harold Belger serve as a bridge between Kazakhstan and Germany. H. Belger has excellent knowledge of the Kazakh language and the Kazakh literature. Due to translation of the German books into the Kazakh language he has gained great recognition both in Kazakhstan and Germany.
The life an oeuvre of Harold Belger are closely connected with the fate of the Kazakh, Russian and German nations. He has received several honorable awards, orders and prizes including the prize of the Kazakh President "For Peace and Spiritual Harmony" (1992).
Awarding the Order of the Federative Republic of Germany demonstrates recognition of H. Belger's merits in ensuring understanding and friendship between our nations by Germany. It is also symbolic that the Kazakhstan writer was awarded in the year of implementation of "Germany in Kazakhstan 2010" program.