Fariza Ongarsynova is an outstanding Kazakh poetess, people's writer of Kazakhstan, laureate of the State Prize Kazakh SSR named after Abai. Her work has become the voice of a generation, permeated with deep reflections on the fate of the people, the place of women in society and the beauty of their native land.

She was born on December 25, 1939, in the village of Manash (now Atyrau region). Her father, Ongarsyn Imangaliev, was a respected person who organized fisheries in region. Mother, Kalima Imangalieva knew Arabic and was the keeper of oral folk literature. Fariza was left without parents early, which left an imprint on her fate and worldview. It was life’s trials that awakened her talent as a poet.

After graduating from the philological faculty of the Guryev Pedagogical Institute in 1961 Ongarsynova worked as a teacher, school director, and then moved in journalism. Worked in the newspapers “Kommunistik enbek” and “Leninshil Zhas”, then for more than 25 years she was the editor-in-chief of the magazine “Pioneer”. In 1996 became a deputy Mazhilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, where she defended issues of culture and education.

Fariza Ongarsynova  is the author of many poetic works collections in which the themes of love for the motherland, women's destiny, and freedom of thought are heard. Her works were translated into Russian by Tatyana Frolovskaya and became known to a wide audience.

She passed away on January 23, 2014, at the age of 74 years. She was buried in the National Pantheon in Astana. Today her name remains a symbol of the power of speech and the spiritual independence of the Kazakh people.