The first ever translation of Saint Francis of Assisi’s celebrated poem Canticle of the Creatures into Kazakh has been published in Kazakhstan by R.S. Publishing. The translation, by the poet Korganbek Amanzhol, marks the forthcoming eighth centenary of the death of the Saint of Assisi (1226–2026). The editorial project was conceived and carried out thanks to the commitment of the Embassy of Italy in Kazakhstan and the Italian Cultural Institute of Almaty, which curated and funded the trilingual edition: the original Italian text is accompanied by the Kazakh version by poet Korganbek Amanzhol, and the Russian version—Kazakhstan’s second official language—by poet Olga Sedakova.
“At a time in history marked by divisions and conflicts, the first translation of the Canticle of the Creatures into Kazakh is a beacon of beauty and an act of cultural diplomacy of profound significance.
This 13th-century masterpiece, which celebrates the harmony of creation and universal brotherhood, resonates with striking affinity with the spiritual traditions of Kazakhstan, a land of steppes, boundless skies, and ancient nomadic wisdom,” stated the Ambassador of Italy to Kazakhstan, Antonello De Riu.
The originality of this editorial initiative lies in its multifaceted nature: in addition to the translation, it includes critical contributions from leading figures of Italian and Kazakh culture: Davide Rondoni, poet, writer, essayist and President of the National Committee for the Franciscan Celebrations; Rosita Copioli, renowned poet and literary critic; Rollan Seisenbayev, the most prominent and respected contemporary Kazakh writer, a central figure in promoting Italian culture in Kazakhstan, who was also responsible for the first Kazakh translation of Dante’s Inferno; Bartolomeo Pirone, former Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the “L’Orientale” University of Naples, lecturer in Christian-Islamic Dialogue at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, and collaborator of the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies and of the Franciscan Centre for Oriental Christian Studies in Cairo, an expert in interreligious dialogue.
The volume is further enriched with 27 original illustrations by Sarra Yessenbay, a renowned Kazakh photographer and visual artist. The trilingual edition also includes the “Simple Prayer”.
