@article{1377161,
      note = {"Commissioned by the Ministry of Culture and Sport of the  Republic of Kazakhstan"--Title page verso.},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/1377161},
      title = {Contemporary Kazakh literature.: Prose.},
      abstract = {Kazakhstan has an incredibly rich and deep literary  heritage, from folk tales of the steppe to epic poems and  from ajtys narrative singing to modernist short stories and  novels. But until now, readers in English have been denied  the opportunity to access the great trove of Kazakh  literature, as it remained largely untranslated. As such,  this anthology represents a new epoch, in which a range of  Kazakh literary voices from the 20th century can be  discovered and appreciated by readers the world over. It is  one of the many exciting products of President Nazarbayev's  'Ryhani Jangyry' initiative, an ambitious program to  revive, modernize and internationalize the Kazakh cultural  sector, while burnishing the best of Kazakh heritage and  national identity. These short stories and novellas vividly  conjure life in the auyls -- the famous Kazakh steppe  villages -- with tales of tribal rifts, hardships and  migrations, filial separation and reunion. But they also  chart the impact of modernization and geopolitics, with  stories of life under Soviet rule, militarization, nuclear  contamination, and the draw of late-20th century  urbanization. Above all, these are stories of fortitude,  wit and ingenuity in the face of adversity, laced with folk  wisdom; indeed, the anthology is an indispensable  repository of Kazakh aphorisms and there are helpful  footnotes providing historical and cultural context. This  wonderful anthology brings us closer together, cultivating  friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of  Kazakhstan and the rest of the world. As such, it is to be  hoped that this anthology is not a destination, but a vital  first step on a journey for English-speaking readers into  Kazakh literature, a tantalizing glimpse of what is to  come. -- Foreword / Sir Ciarán Devane.},
      recid = {1377161},
      pages = {xiv, 614 pages :},
}