How did political purges in the late 1930s affect Mongolian writers?

The political purges directed by Khorloghiyin Choibalsan in the late 1930s had a devastating impact on the Mongolian literary community. Many prominent writers and contemporaries of the era, including Shirnengiin Ayush, Sonombaljiriin Buyannemekh, and Mördendewiin Yadamsüren, were killed during these purges.1

The repression also extended to historical and political documentation. For example, the names of Choibalsan’s coauthors were eventually removed from the title page of the 1934 work Mongol arad-un ündüsün-ü khubiskhal-un angkha egüschü bayigulugdagsan tobchi teüke ("Short History of How the Mongol People’s National Revolution Began and Evolved"), mirroring the fate of the men themselves, who disappeared as a result of the purges. While some writers, such as Tsendiin Damdinsüren, survived imprisonment during this period, the era was characterized by severe state control over culture, forcing literature to serve the interests of the ruling party.1