PERCEPTION OF THE WORKS OF ABAI KUNANBAYEV IN FOREIGN EASTERN COUNTRIES

Abstract

The creative writings of Abai Kunanbayev occupies an important place in the history of Kazakhliterature’s international relations formation and development. In the article, based on the example of thecreativity of the great Kazakh poet Abai Kunanbayev, literary ties of Kazakhstan with such foreign easterncountries as Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Mongolia, China, India have been analyzed. The process of translating hisworks into Oriental languages is presented. Abai’s poetry collections have been published in Urdu, Persian,Turkish and Mongolian. The prose work “Words of Edification” has been translated into Chinese and Korean.Thanks to these translations, Abai’s creative heritage became available to a wide range of Eastern readers,scientists and literary critics, who evaluated Abai’s creativity in newspapers, journals and introductory articlesto the published books. Important aspects of foreign literary reception include speeches by foreign participantsin the international conferences. The article discusses the reports of the researchers from foreign easterncountries. Most Eastern poets and writers, literary critics and literary historians have made comparisons of theirown literary traditions with the poets. Eastern literary figures, showing respect for the spiritual national leaders,unconditionally raised Abai to the rank of the Teachers of the East. The relevance of the research topic is dueto the fact that the perception of Abai’s creative writings by Eastern literary critics, who recognize the specialrole and place of the Kazakh poet in the life of their people, contributes to the international popularization ofKazakh literature.