Abai Kunanbayev: Kazakhstan's renowned poet, thinker

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) - The Central Asian country of Kazakhstan this year celebrates the 175th birth anniversary of renowned poet and thinker Abai Kunanbayev.

A prominent figure in Kazakh literature, Abai is well-known in many countries.

With his books translated into many languages, Abai made a contribution to not only Kazakh culture and folklore but also world literature.

Most of the books containing Abai's works in foreign languages were published in 1995, when his 150th birth anniversary was celebrated at the world level under the auspices of UNESCO.

At the time, the book ‘Abai's Works and Thoughts’ was published in Iran, and the ‘Selected Poems of Abai Kunanbayev’ in Pakistan.

The books were also translated and published in several other countries including Mongolia, France, Germany, Bulgaria, Poland and Turkey.

While the memory of Abai is preserved at the state level, his written works are studied at schools and universities.

The study of Abai, his life and his work has even formed into a separate scientific field of Abaevedenie or Abaittanu.

His philosophical essays and poems are periodically published in the Kazakh language and those of other countries.

Abai's works are believed to occupy an important place in the process of foreign reception of Kazakh literature.