Abai Kunanbaev (Qazaq : Абай Ибрагим Кунанбаюлы , Russian : Абай Ибрагим Кунанбаев ) (born August 10 , 1845 – July 5 , 1904 ) was an Enlightenment writer and poet from the Qazaq ethnic group . Under the influence of Russian classical literature, he oriented Qazaq literature on the path of critical realism . His lyrics, inspired by folklore (“Oh, my Cossacks!”, “I don’t write verses for pleasure”, etc.) enthralled the aristocracyfeudal and bureaucratic; they contributed to awakening the national consciousness of the Qazaq people. Kunanbaev is considered the founder of Kazakhstan’s national literature. He translated into Qazaq from the works of Pushkin , Krîlov , Lermontov , etc.