Alibek Baibol, a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Philology of Abai University, a renowned writer, and a scholar of Alash studies, has been awarded the Shota Rustaveli Gold Medal. This prestigious award was presented to the author for his research work titled "The Fate of Writers in Tiflis," published as part of a joint project between the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Union of Writers of Kazakhstan.

The large-scale initiative "Research Works of Kazakhstani Writers in the Archives of CIS Countries" enabled Alibek Baibol to undertake a scientific research trip to Georgia in September 2025. In the Central State Archive of Literature and Art in Tbilisi, as well as in the Archive of Film, Photo, and Phono Documents, the literary scholar discovered previously unpublished and unique data concerning Kazakh-Georgian literary relations between 1930 and 1935. These investigations resulted in the book "The Fate of Writers in Tiflis." Written in the format of miniature-chronicle essays, the work reveals new dimensions of the spiritual harmony between the two nations.

In this research, the author conducts a scientific analysis of the creative parallels between such giants of national literature as Abai and Shota Rustaveli, Akhmet Baitursynuly and Ilia Chavchavadze, and Magzhan Zhumabaev and Vazha Pshavela. Furthermore, the book focuses on the similar fates of writers oppressed by the totalitarian system in the 1930s, historical ties dating back to the Kipchak era, and shared paths in the theatrical arts. According to Alibek Baibol, despite the geographical distance, the Kazakh and Georgian peoples are very close and share a deep spiritual continuity in terms of historical consciousness and destiny.

The international literary forum, held from May 5–10 in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, brought together writers and researchers from nearly twenty countries, including prominent authors from Italy, Israel, Turkey, and Germany. During the event, literary experts highly commended the new book by Abai University senior lecturer Alibek Baibol.

Additionally, scholars and lecturers from Abai University participated in the festival as part of a 2024–2026 grant project of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, focusing on Georgian literature. Specifically, Saule Abisheva, Samal Serikova, Dina Sabirova, Madina Moldagali, and Gulnar Atembaeva presented their comprehensive study on the work of Vakhtang Gogoladze, an author born in the Georgian city of Rustavi who later immigrated to Kazakhstan.

As part of the forum, foreign delegates toured historical regions such as Mtskheta and Kakheti and visited the house-museums of Alexander Chavchavadze and Hovhannes Tumanyan.

Abai University Media Center