On the eve of Nowruz, the British Library will receive copies of the new Voices of Friends Poetry & Art Almanac 2026, published by Hertfordshire Press. This edition is dedicated to the 180th anniversary of Kazakh thinker Abai Qunanbaiuly and the 110th anniversary of artist and collector Igor Savitsky (Uzbekistan).
On that day, Burabay, a symbol of Kazakhstan’s natural and spiritual beauty, will become a place where literature and art will unite readers, authors, and artists from around the world.
Created in the tradition of international cultural dialogue, the Voices of Friends Almanac brings together works by poets and artists from around the world. The new volume features 34 authors—poets, artists, and thinkers from nine countries—the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Germany, Israel, and Georgia. The texts are published in ten languages, underscoring the project’s international scope and its openness to cultural dialogue.
The new edition of the almanac was edited by David Parry, a renowned British playwright. Thanks to his professional vision and keen sense of words, the edition gained particular depth and expressiveness while preserving the spirit of cultural dialogue for which the almanac was created. The new edition places particular emphasis on the work of Abai Qunanbaiuly – his poems were published both in the original Kazakh and in new, modern English translations by Roman Vasilenko and Yelden Sarybay. The careful editing of the texts preserved the original’s melody and conveyed the philosophical depth and emotional power of the poet, whose ideas remain relevant worldwide.
Along with Abai’s poetry, an important part of the anniversary edition is the legacy of Igor Savitsky, the man whose efforts preserved unique avant-garde paintings in Uzbekistan. The almanac features, for the first time, reproductions of the most valuable paintings from his legendary collection in Nukus.
The almanac unites two powerful cultural streams—literary and artistic—creating a holistic picture of Eurasian heritage and allowing readers to connect with the poetry and painting that continue to inspire the world.
Initiated by the Eurasian Creative Guild (London) in 2020, Voices of Friends Poetry & Art became the world’s first English-language almanac of Eurasian poetry, also published in national languages. Its mission is to unite cultures through poetry and art, creating an international space for dialogue, preservation, and promotion of Eurasian cultural heritage. The almanac makes poetry accessible to a wide audience, erases linguistic and national boundaries, and strengthens mutual understanding between peoples.
The almanac is available on Amazon.
