Discover the hidden power of national literatures in Kazakhstan! A recent roundtable revealed how these diverse voices foster patriotism, understanding, and tolerance. Explore the rich ta...

A round table titled "National Literatures of the Ethnic Groups of Kazakhstan as a Factor in Strengthening Patriotism, Mutual Understanding, and Tolerance" was held at the House of Mukhtar Auezov, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan. Participants included leaders of ethno-cultural associations, representatives of creative unions, intellectuals, media, doctoral and master's students.

Literature is intricately linked to social life, reflecting the state of society. Each national literature develops based on its own historical roots and national traditions. However, they also share common trends, creative directions, spiritual unity, and processes of mutual influence and enrichment, as literature mirrors the ongoing socio-economic and political changes.

The internal evolution and the process of mutual recognition and penetration of literatures were discussed by the participants using specific examples from the works of masters of artistic word—both classics and contemporary authors. The significance of the artist's personality in the interaction of literatures and the consolidation of the national cultures of the republic is substantial. A key feature of the modern literary process is the enrichment of national cultures with the traditions of Kazakh culture and literature. The role of artistic literature in promoting the Kazakhstani model of social harmony and national unity is particularly important.

For the first time, the phenomenon of national literatures was examined in the scientific monograph "Literature of the Peoples of Kazakhstan" (2004), edited by academician Seit Kaskabasov of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The book "Literature of the People of Kazakhstan" (2014), which has been revised and expanded, has undergone a second edition. Collective monographs explore Kazakh, Russian, Uighur, German, Korean, Kurdish, Tatar, and Uzbek literatures in their evolution throughout the 20th century.

In "Modern Literature of the People of Kazakhstan," edited by the author of this text (2014), the most important aspects of the dialogue between national literatures, qualitatively new ideological and artistic stages of development, and issues are summarized: the theme of the great and small Homeland, the fate of the artist at the turn of eras, the theme of political repression and the trauma of deportation, and ethnic existentialism. The creative individual in the modern literature of Kazakhstan, like the characters in the artistic works they create, exists at the crossroads of cultures, in a unified spiritual space of ethnic and cultural interaction.

Publications of artistic texts by domestic poets and prose writers, as well as representatives of foreign literatures in the anthology "Kazakhstan in My Destiny," and scientific collections "Literature of Kazakhstan in Foreign Sources" ("Шетел дереккөздеріндегі қазақстан әдебиеті") and "Қазақстан әдебиетінің шетелде қабылдануы" ("Foreign Perception of the Literature of Kazakhstan") aim to promote the Kazakhstani model of social harmony and national unity, universal human values, and intercultural cooperation. Interethnic cooperation is not only a feature but also a stimulus of the modern literary process. Common to the literatures of the ethnic groups of Kazakhstan are humanism, patriotism, national identity in art, a deepening artistic interest in reality, and the possibilities of comprehending it.

Welcoming words were addressed to the participants of the round table by Kenzhehan Matyzhanov, General Director of the M.O. Auezov Institute of Literature and Art, and Georgy Iordanidi, a member of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan. Writer, translator, and Doctor of Philological Sciences Aslan Zhaksylykov dedicated his speech to revealing the factors of the modern reception of national literatures of Kazakhstan, convincingly demonstrating that Abidzhamil Nurpeisov, Maurice Simashko, Gerold Belger, and Anatoly Kim have created works of global significance. Vasily Shupeikin, Chairman of the Council for Russian Literature and Literary Relations of the Union of Writers of Kazakhstan, shared his vision of the development of the memoir genre in domestic literature. Gulzhakhan Orda, head of the department of Kazakh literature and artistic journalism during the independence period at the M.O. Auezov Institute, highlighted the theme of reflecting life reality in contemporary Kazakh literature.

Olesya Klimenko, editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung," spoke about the work of Gerold Belger and his role in uniting cultures. Karina Galai, Deputy Head of the Department of Russian and Foreign Literature at the Patrice Lumumba RUDN University (Moscow), dedicated her speech to the memory and work of Stanislav Li. Igor Krupko, Deputy Director for Science and External Relations of the International Center for Cultural Cooperation under the auspices of UNESCO, revealed ideas of historical interdependence and cultural convergence in the life work of Olzhas Suleimenov.

Vezir Mirzoev, President of the Mirzoev Fund, introduced those present to modern Kurdish literature, while Doctor of Philological Sciences Alimzhan Khamraev presented the leading trends in Uighur literature. A notable fact in the field of Kazakh-Belarusian literary cooperation is that in 2020, a monograph by Prince Mirzoev, Svetlana Ananyeva, Alexander Karlyukevich, and Kulsum Abdrakhmanova titled "Spiritual Values as the Foundation of the Culture of Peoples" was published in Minsk. The authors discuss cultural and literary dialogue as a vivid example not only of the spiritual closeness of countries and peoples but also as an indicator of a high level of mutual understanding and cooperation. Tatiana Bakanova, head of the prose department and writer, introduced the publications of works by writers of the ethnic groups of Kazakhstan in the literary-artistic magazine "Prostor."

During the event, poetic lines by Kazbek Mamsurov and contemporary Kurdish poets were recited. Poetess Raushan Burkitbaeva-Nukenova read her poems. The uniqueness and dynamics of the development of national literatures of Kazakhstan, as well as cross-cultural dialogue in prose, poetry, drama, and journalism, were at the center of attention for literary scholars, theater experts, diplomats, historians, writers, poets, and university teachers.