The writer Oral Arukenova has recently received a doctorate in literary studies, something not every author can boast about. Her book “The Rules of Oil” remains among Kazakhstan’s bestsellers. In the interview, the writer told us about her recent literary prizes, publications abroad, including the collection “Amanat”, about the concept and trends of modern Kazakhstani literature, plans for the future and her next book.
Aisulu Beken: It is a big pleasure to read and observe your creative achievements. I heard that last October you won the Ibraj Altynsarin Award for the best literary work for children and teenagers. Tell us what work was that and what this event means to you.
Oral Arukenova: Yes, indeed, last year I participated in the republican competition named after Ibraj Altynsarin with the story “Мост” (“Bridge”). This is the story of a boy from a small village who is acutely experiencing the loss of his mother. Quite unexpectedly, I became not only the winner of the prize, but also the favourite of the children’s jury. The Children’s Jury Prize is the biggest and most significant victory for me. Kids’ interest in my work inspires me, and I have plans to write other works about children.
AB: Your debut book, “The Rules of Oil”, was successfully published by Meloman Publishing. When can we expect your next book? What topic will it be written on?
OA: After “The Rules of Oil” I have written many poems and prose. For example, the novel “Alma-Mater” came out in the final of the first season of the “Mecenat.kz” literary contest in 2022. This book is about students of the 70s’ generation. The events of 19861 are in the center of the plot. Now I am writing “Alma-Mater 2” about Soviet students who are in the first years of independence continued their studies abroad. It is a story about personal transformation and debunking myths about socialism and communism. There are outlines for a third book about the state of modern science and education in Kazakhstan, in the same style as “The Rules of Oil”.
AB: What about your publications abroad, including the collection “Amanat“?
OA: My first foreign publication was a short stories in ZA-ZA magazine (‘Зарубежные задворки’ – ‘Foreign Backyards’) in Germany in 2018. A selection of my poems translated by Shelley Fairweather-Vega was published in the American journal ‘Brooklyn Rail’ in 2020. The American magazine ‘Suspect’ published poems by Kazakh authors in 2022 about the Kantar – Fog of January, among which are my texts. Lena Muhin, a German translator and blogger, has translated several of my works into German at jablonja.art.blog. Recently, Italian translator Massimo Maurizio translated and published poems by a group of Kazakhstani authors, among which are my texts.
“Amanat” is a unique collection of works by female Kazakh writers. The initiator of the project was Zaure Bataeva, a philologist, writer, translator and blogger living in Brussels. She herself was involved in the selection of authors and selected the works. Then the famous American translator Shelley Fairweather-Vega joined the project. Zaure and Shelley translated the selected stories into English and found a publishing house to publish the anthology in US. The works of 13 authors are collected under one cover. This is the first anthology of Kazakh writers in US. The most interesting thing is that the literary community of Kazakhstan reacted sluggishly to this event; there was not even a presentation. But in the States, the anthology became a striking literary phenomenon. Presentations were made and reviews were written in scientific and literary journals and publications. European literary scholars did not stand aside either. The anthology presents four of my stories: two in Kazakh and two in Russian. The story “Amanat” is one of them.
AB: Where do you get your inspiration from? Who are your favorite authors?
OA: I was born and raised in central Kazakhstan, in the steppe region. My mother knew almost all Kazakh folklore by heart. I have heard and absorbed epics and folk songs since I was born. I remember as a child, I was proud of the Kazakh warriors and quoted passages from their works by heart. Now I cannot reproduce these texts, but I am sure that the germs of creativity in me come from childhood. Over time, the word “patriotism” has become commonplace and pretentious, but the endless steppe and high sky will never cease to inspire me. Nature, people, books, events, travel, communication – everything that makes up our life is a source of inspiration for me. I can re-read the works of Remarque, Borges, Chekhov, Aitmatov endlessly. The book that made the greatest impression on me at school and still remains my favorite is “Don Quixote” by Cervantes. The works of Kazakh prose writers Abish Kekilbayev, Tolen Abdikov, Talasbek Asemkulov are inspiring. Contemporary Kazakh poetry is another source of inspiration. These are poems by Pavel Bannikov, Tigran Tuniyants, Anuar Duisenbinov, Zair Asim, Selina Taisengirova.
AB: How would you define the concept of “modern Kazakhstani literature”? What are the time boundaries of modern literature?
OA: Modern Kazakhstani literature, being post-Soviet, is diverse and multifaceted. It depends on the educational background and literary preferences of the writers. People raised on classical Russian literature are usually under orthodox discourse. Admirers of Soviet literature can be recognized by their cliches and pathos. All Kazakh writers have allusions to Tengrism and oral folk art. Authors familiar with modernist and postmodernist European literature exhibit deliberate carelessness and brevity in their presentation. The boundaries of modern Kazakhstani literature can be defined, in my opinion, by dividing it into late Soviet and post-Soviet. Both of these categories, in my opinion, fit the concept of modern literature.
AB: Do you think it is necessary to include works of modern Kazakhstani literature in the school curriculum of Kazakhstan? If so, which authors do you think should be included or what works would benefit students from reading?
OA: I think it should definitely be included. Especially poetry, because it is poets who react sharply to changes and new realities of life. As for modern Russian-language poetry, I would include the works of Kanat Omar, Aigerim Tazhi, Erbol Zhumagulov, Pavel Bannikov, Zair Asim, Anuar Duysembinov, Selina Taisengirova, Aman Rakhmetov. These are poets with completely different, but unique styles. It would be useful for high school students to read the prose of Aigul Kemelbaeva, Ayagul Mantaeva, Esbolat Aidabosyn, Bakhytkul Sarmekova, Alexander Kan, Ilya Odegov, Daniyar Sugralinov, Alexander Mendybaev, Alisher Rakhat, Bakhytbek Kadyr.
AB: What development trends are characteristic of modern Kazakhstani literature?
OA: Modern Kazakh writers have a division into secular and religious texts. There are mixed options, as in Abai’s “Words of Edification”: a simultaneous attraction to secularism and to the canons of Islam. Science fiction is popular in Kazakh and Russian literature of Kazakhstan. Over the past few years, I have often participated in competitions as a jury member and have seen that this genre is represented in both children’s and adult prose. One of the global trends that has not bypassed our country is short texts, shortened novels.
AB: What are your plans for this year in terms of creativity?
OA: This year I am going to finish writing my novel and maybe I will be inspired to write poetry and short prose.
- Protests took place in Alma-ata, Kazakh SSR, against the decision to remove Dinmukhamed Kunayev, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, from his post and replace him with Gennady Kolbin from the Russian SFSR. ↩︎
The Alma Review 