Cengiz Aytmatov’un İlk Hikâyelerine Sosyolojik Eleştiri Açısından Bir Bakış
An Essay of Sociological Criticism on the First Stories of Chingiz Aitmatov

Summary/Abstract: Chingiz Aitmatov is considered as one of the greatest writers in world literature. Numerous significant academic studies, particularly in the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan, and Türkiye, have focused on his literary works. Nevertheless, the number of academic studies on Aitmatov’s first few stories remains rather limited. Aitmatov wrote his initial stories in the well-known ideological environment of the Soviet era. In these stories, as in many others from that period, Soviet concepts and values are lauded, and ‘positive’ characters are incorporated into the works. According to the ideas of M. Gorky, who formulated the concept of the positive hero in Soviet literature, a writer should develop characters, highlight their class characteristics, and advocate for the world of labor. The positive hero, above all, is characterized by a robust and critical intellect. Aitmatov’s higher literary education in subsequent years and his incorporation of folkloric elements unique to Kyrgyz culture elevated him to an upper echelon of literature. Consequently, he liberated himself from commissioned literature within the framework of Soviet ideology, producing highly esteemed works. In this article, Aitmatov’s initial stories are analysed using the method of sociological criticism.

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