SPONTANEOUS – FIERY, UNBRIDLED POET

Kashagan Kurzhimanuly (1841–1929) was a renowned poet who absorbed and further developed the rich tradition established by Abyl and Makhambet in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. His verses spread far beyond Kazakhstan—to Central Asian republics and among Kazakhs in Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkey.

Kashagan was born on January 7, 1841, in a Kazakh village near the city of Tashauz.

The poet's sharp criticism targeted not only the rich but also deceitful merchants, fake clerics, boastful officials, and unjust judges. His poems such as “Withered Bisen,” “Mustahka,” “The Dombyra’s Lid,” and “To the Miserly Sufi” criticize ugly human traits like greed and deceit. These satirical poems are steeped in biting sarcasm. His work “The Speckled Goat” is another example of sharp satire.

Poet Ilyas aptly said: “Kashagan is a swift zhyrau, the voice of the people.” He was a critical, direct, and satirical bard whose artistry influenced both contemporaries and future poets.

Kabibolla SYDYQULY,
PhD in Philology