Baizakov, Isa

Born 1900; died Sept. 3, 1946, in Alma-Ata. Kazakh national akyn (bard), poet, and composer.

Baizakov’s narrative poems The Beautiful Kuralai (1925), The Shepherd’s Tale (1926), In the Foothills of the Altai (1934), and Akbope (1941) are based on national folklore. The collection of poems The Great Construction Site (1933) and the narrative poem 11 Days and 11 Nights (1938) are devoted to Soviet life. During the Great Patriotic War, Baizakov was a singer-propagandist. In song competitions (aityses), Baizakov invariably won as a master of improvisation. Baizakov’s image was captured in N. Anov’s novel The Wings of Song (1956).

WORKS