Alişev Ğabdullacan Ğäbdelbari ulı , best known as Abdulla Aliş (ʌbduˈla aˈliʃ; Cyrillic: Абдулла Алиш, also anglicized as Abdulla Alish) was a Soviet Tatar poet, playwright, writer and resistance fighter. He wrote mostly novels for children, the most notable writings being: Dulqınnar (engl. The Waves, 1934), Ant (engl. The Oath, 1935), Minem abí (engl. My Brother, 1940), as well as fairy-tales, collected to Ana äkiätläre (engl. Mother’s Fairy-Tales, 1941). He also wrote several pieces for puppet-shows, the most notable Sertotmas ürdäk (engl. The Blabbing Duck).

In addition to his writing, Aliş spent his early years working towards the construction and improvement of an electric power station in the town of Menzelinsk

Menzelinsk

Menzelinsk , also spelled Minzala or Minzele, is a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the Menzelya River , east of Kazan. Population: 15,800 . Russians account for 49.3% of the town's population, while Tatars comprise 46.8%.It was founded in 1584–1586 and was granted status of...

, on the shores of the Qaban Lakes. From 1933 he worked as a professional journalist and executive secretary for the youth magazine Pioner kələme. In 1941, he was appointed Chief Editor of the Tatar Radio Committee.

In 1941, Aliş joined the Red Army

Red Army

The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...

 and fought in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. That same year, he was taken prisoner by the Wehrmacht

Wehrmacht

The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...

 near the city of Bryansk

Bryansk

Bryansk is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Moscow. Population: -History:The first written mention of Bryansk was in 1146, in the Hypatian Codex, as Debryansk...

. It was here that he met resistance fighter and poet Musa Cälil

Musa Cälil

Musa Cälil was a Soviet Tatar poet and resistance fighter. He is the only poet of the Soviet Union who was simultaneously awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union award for his resistance fighting, and the Lenin Prize for authoring The Moabit Notebooks; both the awards were awarded to him...

; both later gained entrance into the Idel-Ural Legion. While in prison, they formed an underground resistance group to oppose the Nazis. Their plans were later discovered, and as a result both men were guillotine

Guillotine

The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...

d in the prison of Plötzensee

Plötzensee

Plötzensee is a small glacial lake in Berlin. It is situated near the Rehberge public park in the former borough of Wedding, now a part of Mitte. The name stems from Plötze, one name for the roach in German, as the lake formerly teemed with it....

.