This book is a collection of biographies of the great people that made Kazakhstan's history. Some of them were real heroes of their time, some were not understood and were even thought they were traitors, however, their input into the future was very significant and their achievements cannot be diminished. You will find out about our national composers-akyns, poets and Khans. You will learn about the three judges that established the first legal system in Kazakhstan. Some of the characters might seem mythical, but the stories about them still live among us. -------------------------------------------------------- Yerkebulan Dzhelbuldin was born in 1934 in Kazakhstan. He worked as a teacher in the Soviet Union for all his life and was gathering the materials about our country and its history for his book after Kazakhstan acquired its independence. Many facts were concealed from our people and even Kazakhs did not know about their Khans and philosophers. This book was never published before, but you can find some information about these people in the internet nowadays. I translated these materials and put them into a book with the sketches of all the characters. I am Dana Jeteyeva, translator of this and other books, specializing in translations of Kazakh fairy tales and other interesting facts about Kazakhstan. I want people all over the world learn about our country, as, even if it is a big country in the middle of Eurasia, not many people know anything about it. I hope my previous experience - teaching English, Kazakh for foreigners, marketing specialist and translating as well as my natural curiosity will help passing this information to as many people as possible.

This book gives you an overview of the Kazakh nation - its traditions and customs. It will help you understand the Kazakh people. It is good for those, who are interested in travelling and learning about different countries, for those, who work and live in Kazakhstan, or for those, who are thinking of visiting the country...

No other Kazakh thinker has contributed to the modernization of the Kazakh people as Abai. Abai was the first Kazakh philosopher who introduced modernity into Kazakh polity, religion and opened new horizons for the spiritual culture, including artistic and esthetic perceptions. Abai Kunanbayev: Philosopher, Reformer, Humanist is an in-depth analysis of his philosophical and ethical thoughts, and a comprehensive exploration of such fundamental issues as the essence of man, his nature, ideals, the purpose of life, spiritual values, and development of the holistic person. Central Asia scholars, students, and curious readers alike will delve into Abai’s original philosophical concepts with great interest.

Featuring first-time translations of numerous examples of modern Kazakh literature for publication in the USA, this anthology provides excellent examples of literary life in both Soviet and post-Soviet Kazakhstan, and introduces readers to the rich literary traditions of the region. The materials introduce the rich literary heritage of Kazakhstan, which is a part of the unique prose and poetry traditions of the Central Asia steppes and Eurasia. The selected readings will enhance the understanding of unique nomadic culture and Central Asian universe of the great Eurasia Steppe, which, in the words of British Chancellor George Curzon, has ""charms for the historian, the archeologist, the man of science ...."" The Stories of the Great Steppe was designed as an a supplementary reader and textbook for students and general public studying 20th century Eastern European, Russian, and Central Asian literature, culture, and intellectual history. It can be used in courses on Slavic literature, Russian and Soviet literature, Russian cultural history, World History, and the History of World Civilizations.

English summary: "Voices from the Steppe" presents 101 sources on the history of the Kazakh Steppe and Russia's South Urals region from the sixteenth to the mid-twentieth century. It offers a range of texts-local histories, songs, poems, letters, memoirs, religious-legal writings, and official documents--that shed light on politics, culture, spirituality, economic activities, gender, and daily life in one of the world's great grasslands. The volume foregrounds the voices and experiences of ethnic non-Russians in living in what eventually became part of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. The texts have been translated from published and unpublished materials in Kazakh, Tatar, Bashkir, and Russian, and are appearing in English for the first time. German description: Das Buch umfasst 101 Quellen zur Geschichte der kasachischen Steppe und der russischen Region Sudural vom 16. bis zur Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts. Es vereint eine Reihe von Texten - lokale Geschichten, Lieder, Gedichte, Briefe, Erinnerungen, religios-rechtliche Schriften und offizielle Dokumente -, die Aufschluss geben uber Politik, Kultur, Spiritualitat, wirtschaftliche Aktivitaten, Geschlecht und das tagliche Leben in einem der grossten Graslander der Welt. Der Band stellt die Stimmen und Erfahrungen von ethnischen Nicht-Russen in den Vordergrund, die in dem Gebiet lebten, das schliesslich Teil des Russischen Reiches und der Sowjetunion wurde. Die Texte wurden aus veroffentlichten und unveroffentlichten Materialien in Kasachisch, Tatarisch, Baschkirisch und Russisch ubersetzt und erscheinen zum ersten Mal in englischer Sprache.