On November 29, the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan hosted the presentation of the book «So it Was» by the people's writer of Kazakhstan, an outstanding statesman and public figure Olzhas Suleimenov.

The moderator of the event was Valery Aitmukashevich Zhandauletov, a well-known journalist, vice-president of the «Nevada-Semey» anti-nuclear movement.

The event was attended by the President of the Academy of Journalism of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Kozybayev Sagymbai Kabashovich, executive editor of the international scientific journal «Bilgamesh», head of the department of exhibitions and conferences of the International Center for the rapprochement of Cultures under the auspices of UNESCO Igor Krupko, writer, journalist Artsishevsky Adolf Alfonsovich, famous entrepreneur Baitasov Armanzhan and other poets-writers and representatives intellectuals who told about the life and work of Olzhas Omarovich Suleimenov.

«So it Was» is the first book of memoirs by Olzhas Suleimenov, written in a genre that can be described as living evidence of the memory of the poet, who has been in the epicenter of history more than once.

The first part of the book contains memories of the key events of the poet's biography, meetings and friendships with outstanding historical figures, bright and tragic pages of the history of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, little known to the general reader.

In the «Memory of the World» section, the author has collected several historical and linguistic short stories from «1001 words», a scientific project to which the author has devoted more than 60 years. In this section, Olzhas Suleimenov reveals the method of archaeology of the word, exploring the beginning of cultures that developed from the first signs of the ancient world.

The second part of the book consists of documents of the era - selected socio-political publications, speeches and interviews by Olzhas Suleimenov from the 1970s to the 2000s. The book contains archival videos (1960-2000s) in the form of QR codes, with a link to the originals posted on YouTube, to illustrate some chapters with visual sources in an interactive format.

The book is intended for researchers of history, literature and culture, as well as for a wide range of readers.

Participants: famous scientists, public figures, poets, writers, government public figures, members of the Nevada Semey movement and others.