Bayazit Bikbay
Bayazit Bikbay (Bayazit Gayazovich Bikbay; 1909–1968) was a Russian and Soviet poet, writer, and playwright who wrote in Bashkir. He was born in the village of Novorfltaevo, Orenburg uezd, Orenburg Governorate (now in Bashkortostan) and died in Ufa, Bashkortostan. He studied at the Orenburg Bashkir Pedagogical College.
His first poetry collection, Current Days, appeared in 1932, followed by Beyond the Forest, Bright Land, and The Libretto, which was based on the life of Bashkir national hero Salawat Yulayev. In 1937 Bikbay’s drama Karlugas premiered, and he wrote many one-act plays.
During World War II he could not serve on the Eastern Front for health reasons, so he continued to write poetry and plays with military themes. Works from this period include I Praise the Earth, Fire Line, Homeland Calling (Watan Saqyra, 1943), and Children of the Same Family (Ber Tugandar, 1944). Over his career he published more than forty books—poetry, essays, short stories, plays, and libretti—including the novel When Bottled Akselyan. He also translated Tolstoy, Turgenev, and Gorky.
A street in Ufa was named after him in 1984. His awards include the Order of the Red Banner of Labour, the Order of the Badge of Honour, and the Salawat Yulayev Award (posthumously in 1970). Notable works include Long Live Life!, Glory to the Ground, and Karlugas.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:48 (CET).