APersonIndependent states
Abai Kunanbayuly
Founder of written Kazakh literature, poet and thinker (1845–1904), author of the Book of Words.
Abai was born into an influential family in the Chingiz hills near Semey. He studied at a madrasa and learned Russian and European literature alongside Eastern poetry.
He brought new forms and themes to Kazakh poetry, translated Pushkin, Lermontov and Krylov and composed songs. His prose Book of Words (45 "words") is a set of philosophical reflections calling his people to learning, work and morality.
The 175th anniversary of his birth was included in UNESCO's calendar of anniversaries in 2020. There is a museum in Semey, and Mukhtar Auezov's novel The Path of Abai tells his life.
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Updated: October 2, 2026