by Simon Geoghegan (Translator), Abai Kunanbaev (Author)

"If one is to speak about them as a whole, the legacy of Abai's, so-translated Ghaqliya "Words of Edification", differ from literary prose and most likely deserve to be recognised as a unique genre in their own right. These are works that have no narrative and if we are talking about their style and content then this is an aesthetic form that Abai discovered himself, a unique and special form of the artistic word. Sometimes, they resemble philosophical reflections or critical exhortations but more often they are edifying teachings, deep thoughts devoted to moral, ethical problems."