WRITERS from Kazakhstan

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Kazakhstani Writers of all time. This list of famous Kazakhstani Writers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Kazakhstani Writers.

1. Ahmad Yasawi (1103 - 1166)

With an HPI of 69.12, Ahmad Yasawi is the most famous Kazakhstani Writer.  His biography has been translated into 33 different languages on wikipedia.

Ahmad Yasawi (Kazakh: Қожа Ахмет Ясауи, romanized: Qoja Ahmet Iasaui, قوجا احمەت ياساۋٸ; Persian: خواجه احمد یسوی, romanized: Khwāje Ahmad-e Yasavī; 1093–1166) was a Turkic poet and Sufi, an early mystic who exerted a powerful influence on the development of Sufi orders throughout the Turkic-speaking world. Yasawi is the earliest known Turkic poet who composed poetry in Middle Turkic. He was a pioneer of popular mysticism, founded the first Turkic Sufi order, the Yasawiyya or Yeseviye, which very quickly spread over Turkic-speaking areas. He was a Hanafi scholar like his murshid (spiritual guide), Yusuf Hamadani.

2. Abai Qunanbaiuly (1845 - 1904)

With an HPI of 65.72, Abai Qunanbaiuly is the 2nd most famous Kazakhstani Writer.  His biography has been translated into 51 different languages.

Abai Qūnanbaiūly (Kazakh: Абай Құнанбайұлы [ɑˈbɑj qʊnɑmˌbɑjʊˈɫɤ] ; Russian: Абай Кунанбаев; 10 August [O.S. 29 July] 1845 – 6 July [O.S. 23 June] 1904) was a Kazakh poet, composer and Hanafi Maturidi theologian philosopher. He was also a cultural reformer toward European and Russian cultures on the basis of enlightened Islam. Among Kazakhs he is known simply as Abai.

3. Mukhtar Auezov (1897 - 1961)

With an HPI of 59.37, Mukhtar Auezov is the 3rd most famous Kazakhstani Writer.  His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Mukhtar Omarkhanuli Auezov (Kazakh: Mūhtar Omarhanūly Äuezov, Мұхтар Омарханұлы Әуезов, مۇحتار ومارحانۇلى اۋەزوۆ, Kazakh pronunciation: [mo̙χtɑɾ ɔmɑɾˈχɑno̙lɯ æwˈjezəf]; Russian: Мухта́р Омарха́нович Ауэ́зов, Mukhtar Omarkhanovich Auezov; 28 September 1897 – 27 June 1961) was a Kazakh writer, a social activist, a Doctor of Philology, and an honored academician of the Soviet Union (1946). Auezov's writings were influenced by the Kazakh poet Abai Qunanbaiuly. Mukhtar's father and grandfather Omarkhan Auez both highly revered the poet, who was a neighbour and a friend of the Auezov family. His grandfather was a storyteller of folk tales, and taught his grandson to read and write.

4. Mukaghali Makatayev (1931 - 1976)

With an HPI of 55.31, Mukaghali Makatayev is the 4th most famous Kazakhstani Writer.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Mukaghali Makatayev (Kazakh: , Mūqağali Maqataev; February 9, 1931 – March 27, 1976) was a Kazakh poet, writer and translator. Muqagali Maqataev is put on a par with such pillars of Kazakh literature as Abai and Mukhtar Auezov. Fame and recognition came to him after his death. Maqataev lived a short but bright life, leaving to his descendants an extraordinary poetry full of national color.

5. Ybyrai Altynsarin (1841 - 1889)

With an HPI of 54.99, Ybyrai Altynsarin is the 5th most famous Kazakhstani Writer.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Ybyrai (Ibrahim) Altynsarin [əbəɾai altənsaɾin] (Kazakh: Ыбырай Алтынсарин, Ybyrai Altynsarin; Russian: Ибрай Алтынсарин; 1 November [O.S. 20 October] 1841 – 29 July [O.S. 17 July] 1889) was a major figure in pre-Soviet Kazakh history. He was the most prominent Kazakh educator of the late 19th century, during the period of Russian colonization of and cultural influence in Kazakhstan. Ibrahim Altynsarin was born in the Araqaraghai region of Turgay Oblast (now Kostanay Province) of modern-day Kazakhstan and in his early career he was an inspector of Torghai schools. Like all ethnic Kazakhs, Ibrahim was raised in an Islamic family that valued tradition and religion over many other aspects of life. Due to the influx of Russian influence in the area, though, he developed more progressive views for Kazakh society to westernize and accelerate. This allowed him to come up with multiple ways to modernize Kazakh society. Ibrahim Altynsarin is best known for introducing the transition from the Perso-Arabic alphabet to the Cyrillic alphabet for the Kazakh language, and was a proponent of teaching in the Western style. Being a Muslim, though, he opposed the teaching of Orthodox Christian doctrines to non-Russian Kazakhs, but at the same time urged resistance to Tatar language and culture, in favor of Russian and Western influences. As an educator, he opened numerous Kazakh-Russian boarding schools, technical schools and schools for girls. Altynsarin is also credited with authoring the first Kazakh grammar book, the first Kazakh-Russian newspaper, and with translation of a large number of textbooks and reference works. He was honored by the Imperial Russian government with numerous awards, including the title statski sovetnik (State Counsellor). A number of Kazakh institutions, including the Kazakh Academy of Education, Arkalyk State Pedagogical Institute and some streets, schools, and academic awards, are named after Altynsarin. There is an Altynsarin museum in Kostanay. Ybyrai grew up with his grandfather because of the early death of his father. He perfectly finished the school in Orynbor. In his last years, he decides to move 3 kilometers away from Kostanay and builds a house there, near the river Tobyl. He works here until his death. He was buried near the river, near his father's coffin.

6. Saken Seifullin (1894 - 1938)

With an HPI of 53.39, Saken Seifullin is the 6th most famous Kazakhstani Writer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Saken Seifullin (Kazakh: Сәкен (Сәдуақас) Сейфуллин, Säken (Säduaqas) Seifullin; 15 October 1894 – 25 April 1938) was a pioneer of modern Kazakh literature, poet, writer, and a national activist. He was the founder and the first head of the Union of Writers of Kazakhstan. Additionally, he notably contributed in creating controversial literature instigating for independence of Kazakh people from Soviet and Russian oppression. Facing Soviet repression, Saken was executed in 1938. The Soviet government posthumously rehabilitated him during the de-Stalinization period.

7. Vsevolod Ivanov (1895 - 1963)

With an HPI of 51.26, Vsevolod Ivanov is the 7th most famous Kazakhstani Writer.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Vsevolod Vyacheslavovich Ivanov (Russian: Всеволод Вячеславович Иванов, IPA: [ˈfsʲevələt vʲɪtɕɪˈslavəvʲɪtɕ ɪˈvanəf]; 12 February [O.S. 24 February] 1895 – 15 August 1963) was a Soviet and Russian writer, dramatist, journalist and war correspondent.

8. Alexander Volkov (1891 - 1977)

With an HPI of 50.81, Alexander Volkov is the 8th most famous Kazakhstani Writer.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Alexander Melentyevich Volkov (Russian: Александр Мелентьевич Волков [ɐlʲɪkˈsandr mʲɪˈlʲenʲtʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈvolkəf]; 14 June 1891 – 3 July 1977) was a Soviet novelist, playwright, university lecturer. He was an author of novels, short stories, plays and poems for children, mostly remembered for the Magic Land series of books, based on L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

9. Alexander Kazantsev (1906 - 2002)

With an HPI of 47.22, Alexander Kazantsev is the 9th most famous Kazakhstani Writer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Alexander Petrovich Kazantsev (Russian: Алекса́ндр Петро́вич Каза́нцев; 2 September 1906 – 13 September 2002) was a popular Soviet and Russian science fiction writer, ufologist and chess composer.

10. Sergei Lukyanenko (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 46.77, Sergei Lukyanenko is the 10th most famous Kazakhstani Writer.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Sergei Vasilyevich Lukyanenko (Russian: Серге́й Васи́льевич Лукья́ненко, IPA: [sʲɪrˈɡʲej vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ lʊˈkʲjænʲɪnkə]; born 11 April 1968) is a Russian science fiction and fantasy author, writing in Russian. His works often feature intense action-packed plots, interwoven with the moral dilemma of keeping one's humanity while being strong. Some of his works have been adapted into film productions, for which he wrote the screenplays.