Passion or Profession: Writer

Period: 1897–1961

Auezov was a Kazakh playwright, novelist, literary critic, historian, and linguist during the Soviet era. He first gained fame for his plays, though his two major works, Abai and The Path of Abai, are novels based on the life of the great Kazakh poet Abai Ibrahim Kunanbaev. The Path of Abai is one of the most comprehensive works on the culture and traditions of nomadic Kazakhs. Auezov also translated the works of William Shakespeare and other authors into Kazakh.