# Ravil Bikbaev

Ravil Bikbaev (Bashkir: Рауил Төхфәт улы Бикбаев, Russian: Рави́ль Тухва́тович Бикба́ев, (1938-12-12)December 12, 1938 Verkhny Kunakbay village, Pokrovsky District, Orenburg Oblast – April 23, 2019(2019-04-23) (aged 80) Ufa, Bashkortostan) was a prominent Bashkir poet and writer, literary scholar, and public figure. He was honored as the People’s Poet of Bashkortostan in 1993 and held a doctorate in philological sciences since 1996. Bikbaev was also recognized as a Distinguished Scientist of the Republic of Bashkortostan (1992), a Distinguished Cultural Worker of the Chuvash Republic, and an Honorary Citizen of Ufa (since 1999). In 2009, he became a Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Additionally, he was a professor and served as a deputy and chairman of the Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Sports, and Youth Affairs in The State Assembly — Kurultai of the Republic of Bashkortostan (2008–2013). Bikbaev was also one of the co-authors of the National Anthem of the Republic of Bashkortostan.

## Biography

Bikbaev was born on December 12, 1938, in the village of Verkhny Kunakbay, Perevolotsky District, Orenburg Oblast. In 1953, he completed a seven-year school and from 1953 to 1957 studied at the Ak-Bulak Pedagogical College. He graduated from the Philological Faculty of Bashkir State University in 1962. After completing his university studies, he pursued postgraduate education at the Institute of History, Language, and Literature of the Bashkir Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences from 1962 to 1965. Starting in 1965, he worked as a researcher in the Department of Literature at the Institute of History, Language, and Literature of the Ufa Science Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 1966, he defended his candidate dissertation on the topic "The Contemporary Bashkir Poem", and in 1996, he defended his doctoral dissertation.
From 1995 to 2011, Bikbaev served as the chairman of the Union of Writers of the Republic of Bashkortostan. He was also a secretary and co-chairman of the Union of Writers of Russia. Between 2008 and 2013, he held the position of chairman of the Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Sports, and Youth Affairs of The State Assembly — Kurultai of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Throughout his life, Bikbaev successfully combined his poetic and scientific work with a multifaceted literary and public career. He made a significant contribution to the development of the Bashkir language, literature, scientific thought, and statehood.
Bikbaev began his creative career during his student years and had his first works published in 1957. In 1962, his first poem, "The Station", was published in the magazine Agidel, marking his emergence as a mature, original, and talented poet with a philosophical worldview. In "The Station", both the fate of the country and that of his homeland—his village, the hearth, neighbors, and the generation that endured the hardships of wartime—are personified. The poem also reflects the fate of a woman who saw her husband off to war from that station and is now sending her son to the army. The theme of war, first raised in "The Station", remained one of the central themes throughout Bikbaev’s work. His first poetry collection, "Steppe Horizons", was published in 1964, followed by other works that earned him well-deserved recognition in both the poetic and academic worlds.
Bikbaev authored over 100 poetic, literary, and scholarly works. His creativity was characterized by historical thinking and a desire to philosophically generalize life’s phenomena. Central themes in his work included the native language, culture, and the historical fate of the people. Pressing contemporary issues were reflected in the poetic monologue "Letter to My People" (1982), the poems "I Thirst—Give Me Water!" ("Һыуһаным, һыуҙар бирегеҙ!", 1989), and "The Market Axe" (1993). Bikbaev’s poetic language was noted for its vivid imagery, subtle psychological depth, and original symbolism. He made a significant contribution to the development of epic genres in poetry.
Bikbaev’s lyrical poem "I Thirst—Give Me Water!" written in the form of an address to the people ("hitap"), became not only one of the author’s key works but also a cornerstone of 20th-century Bashkir literature. Written during his travels in 1987–1988, the poem programmatically raises questions about the preservation and development of the natural, historical, and cultural heritage of Bashkortostan. During his mental "journeys", Bikbaev also reflects on the famous Bashkortostan Shikhans, unique natural monuments in the southern part of Bashkortostan, whose fate deeply concerned him.
As a researcher, Bikbaev was always deeply interested in the poetic and spiritual world of his contemporaries and predecessors, as well as in the most pressing issues regarding the development of Bashkir poetry and literature. He published numerous studies on contemporary Bashkir poetry and philosophical lyricism, including "Time. Poet. People" (1986), "The Evolution of Contemporary Bashkir Poetry" (1991), "Shaikhzada Babich: Life and Work" (1995), and "The Poet’s Word is the Poet’s Conscience" (1997). This is just a partial list of his literary research and criticism, published not only in Ufa but also in Moscow.
Many of Bikbaev’s works have been translated into German, Turkish, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Yakut, Chuvash, Karakalpak, Altai, and other languages. His writings and books are housed in major libraries around the world, including the Library of Congress in the United States and the National Library of Australia.
Bikbaev played an active role in the cultural and public life of the Republic of Bashkortostan, frequently publishing sharp publicist and critical articles in the press. His publicist book, The Year of Man (2003), which includes his articles, speeches, and interviews, reflects the spiritual transformation of a renewed Bashkortostan, the complex spiritual quests of his contemporaries, and the urgent issues of modern life, interwoven in the dialectical unity and conflict of the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the new millennium.
In the 1990s and 2000s, Bikbaev traveled extensively, representing Bashkir literature in the United States, France, Turkey, South Korea, Germany, and CIS countries. His travels were documented in a collection of travel notes titled At Dawn, I Set Out (2002), which introduced a new genre to Bashkir literature.
In June 1999, Bikbaev was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Ufa.
In 2007 he was appointed a member of the Presidential Council of the Republic of Bashkortostan.
In 2008, Bikbaev was elected a deputy of the State Assembly – Kurultai of the Republic of Bashkortostan, where he chaired the Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Sports, and Youth Affairs. From 2008 to 2013, he actively participated in the drafting and improvement of legislative acts as a regional parliamentarian and chairman of the relevant committee.
The issues of the writer’s relationship with time, morality, and the development paths of contemporary literature are addressed in Bikbaev’s publicist work Dastan about Bashkortostan, published in 2013.
Throughout his life, Bikbaev successfully combined his poetic work and scientific pursuits with multifaceted literary and public activities.
Bikbaev made a significant scholarly contribution to the research and preservation of the legacy of Rami Garipov. He also actively supported the commemoration of prominent Bashkir cultural figures, such as Mustai Karim, Zainab Biisheva, Zagir Ismagilov, Amir Abdrakhmanov, and others.
Bikbaev restored the esteemed name of Shaikhzada Babich to Bashkir culture after decades of an unofficial ban on even mentioning Babich’s name. Thanks to Bikbaev and his scholarly research in the field of Bashkir literary history, the powerful words and legacy of Shaikhzada Babich resonated with new strength and vibrancy.
Bikbaev died on April 23, 2019, at the age of 80 after a long illness, while being treated at Republican Clinical Hospital No. 2. He was buried at the Muslim Cemetery in Ufa.
The memory and cultural, creative, and scholarly legacy of Bikbaev have been immortalized in the Republic of Bashkortostan in accordance with the Decree of the Head of the Republic of Bashkortostan, R. F. Khabirov, dated October 1, 2019, No. UG-322, "On the Commemoration of People’s Poet of Bashkortostan, Ravil Bikbaev".
In 2019 and 2023, Bikbaev's family members donated documents, manuscripts, and photographs from his personal archive for permanent storage at the National Archive of the Republic of Bashkortostan. This was done to create a multimedia archive of materials related to the life, public, scholarly, and creative activities of the poet, philologist, publicist, and former chairman of the Writers’ Union of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Audio and video materials were also provided by the State Unitary Enterprise of the TV and Radio Company Bashkortostan. Approximately 2,000 documents underwent scientific and technical processing, all of which were cataloged, leading to the establishment of a personal archive collection (R-5383). The collection includes materials from Bikbaev’s creative, academic, and public activities, including books, manuscripts, photographs, and audiovisual materials.
The multimedia archive was created with the aim of collecting and systematizing documents and information about the life, creative work, and public activities of the People’s Poet of Bashkortostan, Professor, and Doctor of Philological Sciences, Ravil Bikbaev. This will facilitate the search for essential information for schoolchildren, students, researchers, and anyone interested in the biography and work of one of the most prominent representatives of Bashkir literature and science at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries.