TCA Interview: Author Judith Lindbergh on Her Novel “Akmaral”, Set on the Kazakh Steppe
In recent years, many international writers have written books about Kazakhstan. One of these is the American author Judith Lindbergh, whose latest historical novel, Akmaral, is set on the Kazakh steppe. TCA: The story of Akmaral is related to Central Asia, and particularly, Kazakhstan... JL: Absolutely correct. Akmaral is about a nomadic woman warrior on the Central Asian steppes in the 5th century BCE. It’s based on archaeology that many of your readers are likely familiar with: the Siberian Ice Maiden discovered in Tuva and the Issyk Golden Warrior of Kazakhstan. These two burials were just the beginning of my research, which also included the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus about the Amazon warrior women who fought in the Trojan War. I delved deeply into the history, landscape, and cultures of Central Asia, both ancient and modern. In writing my novel, I worked hard to understand how people lived, and still live, on the steppes: their traditional nomadic ways of herding and hunting, and especially how this ancient, often-forgotten culture fits into the broader story of human civilization. [caption id="attachment_38735" align="aligncenter" width="349"] Judith Lindbergh[/caption] TCA: How did the idea to write such a novel come about? JL: It all started with a documentary about the Siberian Ice Maiden. I love ancient history and archaeology, especially when they reveal truths about women’s lives. The Ice Maiden burial was fascinating. Her body was so well preserved that I could almost imagine her standing before me. I wanted to understand how she might have lived, and to uncover the mystery of why she was buried in such an isolated place. As I continued my research, I realized that she was not the only important female burial from that era in Central Asia. There were, in fact, countless others. Many women who had died of war wounds were buried with weapons. I began combining these burials in my imagination to create my main character, Akmaral, which I learned means “White Deer.” The name felt connected to the Siberian Ice Maiden’s famous tattoo, which became an important spiritual symbol in my novel. I used extensive research to try to accurately represent what life might have been like for these ancient women. In historical fiction, as in history itself, women rarely play significant roles in public life. Yet these artifacts and burials show us that many nomadic women once held important military and spiritual positions. There are almost no works written in English about nomadic peoples, including the real life and history of the Kazakhs. In fact, nomads were people who lived freely and truly in their time. And now we are not able to glorify their values, their way of life. What do you think about this? You’re right that there’s very little written in the West about the Sarmatians, or really much about Central Asia at all. I wanted to bring my fascination with this vital, “forgotten” part of history to new readers. In many ways, it can be hard for modern...
