Jibash Kainchin’s Long Story Ol Carattañ (From the Other Side) in the Context of Opposing Dual Heroes

Abstract

Jibash (Semen) Borukovic Kainchin (1938-2012), who produced works from the second half of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century, is an important literary figure of modern Altaic literature. As he wrote his books during and after the Soviet period, his artistic life is significant in terms of reflecting the changing socio-cultural structure in the USSR (later RF) on Kainchin’s art in particular and Altai literature in general. Kainchin is mostly known for his works written in the style of short stories, especially long stories. In the second half of the 19th century, he brought many innovations in terms of subject and style to modern Altai literature, whose first yields emerged, and enabled this literature to get rid of the didactic understanding, which is its general feature. Through the characters he created in his works, he brought new perspectives to the individual and social problems of the age. In his story titled as Ol Carattañ (From the Other Side), which he wrote in 1980, the author dealt with the Altai-Russian opposition in the region in the 1920s-1930s. More precisely, the story focuses on the relationship between the Altai Turks, the main inhabitants of the region, and the Russian immigrants who later settled in the area, and the struggle of both communities to exist in the Altai geography constitute the main subject of the story. In the story, Küreñdey, an Altai Turk woman, and Kallistrat, a Russian male immigrant who settled in the region later, are the main characters. Küreñdey, on the one hand, tries to save her son Uçar, who works for Kallistrat, from alienation by becoming Russian, and on the other hand, she struggles to build a society that can survive against the Russians. In this respect, the story is noteworthy in that it deals with the Altai-Russian relationship from a different perspective. In the article, the Ol Carattañ story is examined in terms of the opposing dual heroes and the values they represent.

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The author declares no conflicts of interest in this study.

This research received no external funding.