Bakhytzhan Kanapyanov

Infobox Writer
name = Bakhytzhan Kanapyanov

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caption =
birthdate = birth date|1951|10|04|mf=y
birthplace = Kokshetau, Kazakhstan
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = Poet, Writer

Bakhytzhan Kanapyanov ( _kz. Бақытжан Мусахан-ұлы Қанапиянов, October 4, 1951 - ), Kazakh poet and writer.

Kanapyanov is a poet and a lyricist. He was born in Koksetau, a descent from Genghis Khan. He was a winner of the Kazakhstan’s boxing cup for two consecutive years (1968 - 1969). Liquidator of Chernobyl disaster. Member of the Russian and the Kazakh PEN clubs.

Kanapyanov writes in Kazakh and Russian and is widely recognised for multicultural approach. Kanapyanov collected folk songs from across Kazakhstan and translated them into Russian, often revising and adopting them. One of the most famous translation – is the Kazakh national epic song Kyz Zhibek. His translations into Russian include Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet, French poet Paul Valery and others.

Among Kazakh poets translated and adopted by Bakhytzhan are Abai, Zhambyl Zhabayev, Kenen Azerbayev, Shakarim, Magzhan Zhumabayev and others.

In 1984 he became the editor-in-chief of one of the largest publishing house in Kazakhstan Zhalyn. He kept this position until the year 1991 when the USSR, communist party and all censoring mechanisms collapsed. This allowed him to founder first independent publishing house in Kazakhstan – Zhibek Zholy (Silk Road). Now Zhibek Zholy is famous for its ongoing support to young authors and especially poets in Kazakhstan, Russia and worldwide. Zhibek Zholy publishes a lot on education, folklore, philosophy, linguistics and history studies.

Bakhytzhan was an active member of Nuclear disarmament movement and together with Olzhas Suleimenov was one of the founders of “Nevada-Semei” movement which ultimate aim was to close the nuclear test centers in Semipalatinsk and Nevada. He was a volunteers in Chernobyl trying to raise worldwide awareness of the tragedy - Chernobyl disaster. These efforts resulted in a book of verses “Stork on the Pripyat River” later translated in many languages.

Kanapyanov’s books were translated in more than 20 languages, including English, Finnish, Georgian, German, Korean, Polish, Malay, Yakut.