Literature - The Times Of Central Asia

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Eurasian Creative Week in Scotland Celebrates International Art, Literature, and Cultural Exchange

The XIII Eurasian Creative Week took place in Greenock, Scotland, from November 28 to 30, 2024, drawing artists, writers, poets, and diplomats from 15 countries, including Kazakhstan, Russia, and Canada. Hosted at the Beacon Arts Centre, the event kicked off with the presentation of artwork from the renowned collection The Great Steppe Treasure, featuring creators such as Maria Muchinskaya and Larisa Pak. Attendees also enjoyed video messages from notable writers and public figures, fostering a spirit of collaboration and dialogue. The evening spotlighted author Alexander Kazarnovsky, who captivated the audience with readings from his acclaimed novel, War will show the plan. Continuing on November 29 at the OYO Gin House Hotel, the festival’s literary program showcased key publications by Hertfordshire Press, including Viktor Slipenchuk’s Zinziver. A highlight was the screening of an AI-created film based on Slipenchuk’s poem Chingis-Khan, which sparked discussions on historical and modern leadership. Meanwhile, OCA Magazine unveiled its special issue celebrating Uzbekistan’s vibrant Jizzakh region and key cultural figures. The day culminated in an award ceremony recognizing influential contributors, with honors like the Jonathan Fryer Medal and the Barbara Yurkowska-Nawrocka Medal celebrating efforts in literature and creative exchange. Notable award winners included Timur Akhmedjanov for his charity comic book, Elish and the Wicker Tale, and Marina Alyassova for her psychological fairy tales, Wise Tales for Children and Adults. Other honorees, such as Tajikistan’s Gulsifat Shahidi and Kazakhstan’s Alikhan Zhaksylyk, were recognized for their contributions to romance stories and innovative novels. A gala reception featured traditional dishes and a keynote speech emphasizing the importance of fostering international ties. The festival concluded on November 30 with a visit to the Watt Institution Museum, offering participants a glimpse into Scottish cultural heritage. Throughout the week, exhibits of national art and literature from countries like Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan exemplified Eurasia’s cultural diversity and creative potential. The XIII Eurasian Creative Week reaffirmed its role in strengthening international cultural collaboration.

Science Cultural Heritage History Great Britain Literature Art and Culture Cultural Cooperation

Turkmen Scientists Acquire Over 100 Rare Manuscripts from the UK

Researchers from the Institute of Language, Literature, and National Manuscripts at the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan have returned from the United Kingdom with 107 electronic copies of valuable manuscripts. These acquisitions enrich the collection of historical materials documenting the cultural heritage of the Turkmen people. From November 2 to 23, researchers Amandurdy Nuraev and Guichmyrat Changliyev conducted studies at two of the UK’s most renowned repositories: the British Library in London and the John Rylands Research Institute and Library in Manchester. These archives house extensive collections of historical documents, including rare manuscripts with significant relevance to Turkmenistan’s history and culture. The expedition culminated in the transfer of electronic copies of key documents to Turkmenistan. Among the manuscripts are works by prominent authors such as Makhtumkuli Fraghi, Alisher Navoi, Fizuli, and Hussein Baygara, along with other renowned oriental poets and scholars. Special emphasis was placed on uncovering works previously unknown to the Turkmen academic community. In addition to literary compositions, the manuscripts provide unique insights into the history and traditions of the Turkmen people. These materials offer new opportunities for studying the heritage of Makhtumkuli Fraghi, a celebrated figure and symbol of Turkmenistan’s national culture. This significant achievement enhances the preservation and understanding of Turkmenistan’s rich literary and historical legacy, contributing to broader academic and cultural exploration.

TURKSOY Cultural Heritage Literature Organization of Turkic States Cultural Cooperation

Ashgabat Hosts Turkic Writers’ Forum

On October 18-19, leading cultural and literary figures gathered in Ashgabat, to attend a forum of Turkic writers organized within the program “Anau—Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2024". With a focus on the importance of preserving and developing common cultural heritage, the event attracted representatives of the writers' unions of Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, as well as prominent cultural figures of Turkmenistan. Honored guests included Ulugbek Esdevlet, president of the TURKSOY Writers' Union, and Sultan Raev, secretary general of the organization, who in his address, emphasized: “This forum is a unique platform for demonstrating the rich literary heritage of the Turkic world and passing on our common cultural heritage to future generations.” During the forum, the Union of TURKSOY Writers held a meeting to discuss promising projects for developing the literature of Turkic-speaking peoples, including programs to support young authors, the expansion of translation activities, and the organization of international literary contests. In addition to complementary activities such as poetry readings, the forum afforded students from the Turkmen State Institute of Culture, a unique opportunity to engage with prominent writers.

Heritage Literature International Relations

Astana Unveils Monument to Great Turkmen Poet Pyragy

On July 4, a monument to the great Turkmen poet and thinker Magtymguly Pyragy (1724-1807) was unveiled in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana. The ceremony was attended by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan Maulen Ashimbayev, and Astana Mayor Kassymbek Zhenis. The International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) declared 2024 “The Year of the Great Poet and Thinker of the Turkic World – Magtymguly Pyragy,” while the 300th anniversary of the poet’s birth Pyragy was included in the UNESCO List of Memorable Dates for 2024-2025. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov announced that the erection of the monument in the capital of Kazakhstan testifies the eternity and inviolability of Kazakh-Turkmen friendship. The National Leader of Turkmenistan also emphasized the continuous, important role played by culture, music, poetry, and creativity in general, in maintaining close and cohesive ties between peoples. Hailing the legacy of Pyragy the property of all humanity, the Chairman of the Kazakh Senate Maulen Ashimbayev stressed that just like the poems and philosophical prose of the great Kazakh writer Abai, the poetic heritage of the brilliant son of the Turkmen people is perceived in Kazakhstan as an integral part of the common treasury of Turkic culture.

Culture Literature poetry

Kazakh Poet Bakhyt Kenzheev Dies at 74

Bakhyt Kenzheev, a famous poet from Kazakhstan, has died at the age of 74 after a long illness. Kenzheev was born in 1950 in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, studied at the Faculty of Chemistry of Moscow State University, and debuted as a poet in 1977. His works were published in the leading publications of the Soviet Union — including Komsomolskaya Pravda, Yunost, Moskovsky Komsomolets. In 1982, Kenzheev emigrated to Canada, and in 2008, to the United States. He is the author of more than 20 books of poetry and prose books, and was honored with the Anti-Booker, Moscow Transit and Russian Prize, and was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Kenzheev himself considered himself a true Kazakh. "I was taken from Kazakhstan as a three-year-old, I grew up in Moscow, I am a Russian poet, my mother is Russian, but I am Kazakh. It never occurred to me to take a pseudonym and become, for example, Boris Karasev. People say to me: 'You don't speak Kazakh.' I don't care, and I feel that way," Kenzheev stated in one of his interviews.

Magtymguly Pyragy Literature

Story of a Statue: Turkmenistan Shapes National Identity

The giant bronze statue of a robed man holding a book stands on the southern outskirts of Turkmenistan’s capital, Ashgabat, and is visible from many parts of the city. Including the granite base, it is more than 80 meters high. The sculptor says the rising sun illuminates the structure at dawn, giving it a hallowed aura. Diplomats and other dignitaries recently assembled for the inauguration of the statue of Magtymguly Pyragy, a revered poet and philosopher who serves today as a state-sponsored symbol of national and cultural identity. Some carried bouquets of flowers as they walked up the steps toward the looming monolith. Later, there were fireworks, a multi-colored light show and a drone display in the sky that formed the image of a quill pen. Led by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the ceremony on May 17 marked the 300th anniversary of the official birthday of Pyragy, who is little known outside Central Asia but is vital to a campaign of national cohesion in a country whose brand of personalized state control often seems opaque and eccentric to observers. Pyragy was born in the 18th century in what is today Iran, and is associated with Sufi spiritualism. He wrote about love, family and morality, and also laced his poetry with yearning for Turkmen solidarity at a time of conflict and fragmentation. Today, his image adorns postage stamps and banknotes in Turkmenistan. A theater carries his name. A symphony. A street. A university. People put his verse to songs at festivals. His lines form aphorisms in Turkmen, a Turkic language spoken in parts of Central Asia. Turkmenistan is of interest to foreign powers for its deep energy reserves, but this year its diplomats made an intense push in world capitals to get people interested in something else about the country: Magtymguly Pyragy. They promoted events about the poet in cities including Washington, Paris, Beijing and Seoul. The message was, as the state news agency put it, that Pyragy´s work is “an invaluable asset of all mankind.” Indeed, the park where the giant Pyragy statue stands in Ashgabat also contains much, much smaller statues of writers from other parts of the world, including William Shakespeare, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Rabindranath Tagore. One commentator has even compared Pyragy to German philosopher Immanuel Kant, saying they were born around the same time and had similar ideas. Russian granite was transported in nearly 100 railway cars to Ashgabat for construction of the new Pyragy statue, according to contractor Alexander Petrov. The statue is among the more grandiose monuments in a capital studded with them. Sculptor Saragt Babayev noted that the statue shows Pyragy in a turban, in contrast to an older image of the poet that shows him wearing a peaked Astrakhan hat, which was made of sheep fur and had no religious significance. That image dates to the time when Turkmenistan was part of the Soviet Union and Moscow was cracking down on expressions of Islamic piety. “During the time when the...