The national idea in the works of turkic writers (Yusuf Balasaguni, Abai Qunanbaiuly, Aleksey Kulakovsky)

Abstract

The article aims to reveal the peculiarities of the national idea in the works of Turkic writers Yusuf Balasaguni, Abai Qunanbaiuly and Aleksey Kulakovsky. The relevance of the article is connected with the value-based and common cultural understanding of literary texts in Turkic languages created in different periods of history. For the first time the works of named authors are comparatively examined by revealing the notion of national idea in their writings. Historical-typological and comparativehistorical research methods have been used to compare the works of the writers. The most acclaimed works of aforementioned Turkic writers were chosen as the subject of analysis: “Blessed Knowledge” (1069–1070) by Yusuf Balasaguni, “Words of Edification” (1890–1898) by Abai Qunanbaiuly and “The Dream of a Shaman” (1910) by Aleksey Kulakovsky. All three writers were versatile personalities with a special way of thinking, an active attitude to life, and patriotic aspirations, who occupied a special place in the history of their peoples as spiritual leaders. As translators of traditional spiritual and moral values, they raised the issue of the preservation and development of their native culture in works. The article suggests that the typological similarity of the works is caused by the cultural and historical similarity of their regions and their belonging to the same language family. It is suggested that the idea of unity and preservation of the people, which is expressed in ancient Turkic monuments, has been imprinted in the genetic memory of the Turkic-speaking peoples. Genetic-typological similarities can also be seen in the genre of the works, which are all recipient-oriented and are written in the form of an appeal to the people. The works are also similar in their narrative style: the authors address their listeners directly, appealing to their feelings with the help of various rhetorical figures, which also has its genetic roots in the Orkhon-Yenisei monuments, written on behalf of the ancient Turkic rulers who called on their people to unite. The enlighteners, being highly educated people, understood that socio-cultural transformation and development of the society were based on the acquisition of knowledge and scientific foundations, and therefore they promoted the idea of national revival along the civilisational and progressive path of development of the society. Abai Qunanbaiuly and Aleksey Kulakovsky, realising that the union of cultures could only contribute to the progress of society, called for the acceptance of the achievements of Russian culture and the learning of the Russian language.