Chinghiz Aitmatov (1928-2008), Kyrgyz writer, Lenin (1963) and USSR State Prizes laureate (1968, 1977, 1983), National Poet of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic (1968):
I am powered by the feeling of appreciation of the talent and heritage of Tukay, because Tukay belongs not only to the Tatar nation, but the geography of his belongings is much wider. What do I think about this great person, about our predecessor in the Turkic literatures? Mustay Karim told that Gadbdulla Tukay was and is the greatest Tatar in the history of all the Tatars. I agree with him. In my opinion, such a person was born not accidentally. I think that such a person can be born in the most strained, most difficult, and the most hopeful moment of the history. The history of prerevolutionary Russia, when the word of Tukay appeared and rose, was just the same. Nevertheless, there is a mystery of Tukay, there is a secret of the great poet, and inexplicability of his talent.
… How do such talents appear? How could Lermontov be born? And how could Tukay be born? Wonderful maturity of Tukay’s talent surprises. Sometimes it seems that he lived in the world not 27, but maybe 270 years. Such a powerful and wise thoughts he had. It is also surprising that this great poet and great artist showed a striking political intuition and social consciousness. He was among those who led the nation by the bridle and struggled for its rebirth. The importance of Tukay is in the fact that he reappraised the history and culture of his nation. It is a great achievement of the personality and great achievement of the artist.
Tukay has great importance either for former Turkmenistan, or for whole Central Asia. All Turkic nations were influenced by the oeuvre of Tukay. There are no such people in our region, and among Turkic nations of Central Asia, who would not be acquainted with creative personality of Tukay and his points of views.