A Millennium of Turkish Literature [antikvár]

From Orhon inscriptions to Orhan Pamuk. That could serve as a definition of the life-story of Turkish Literature from the eighth century A.D. to the present day. A geographic span from Outer Mongolia and the environs of China through Inner Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East and North Africa, the Balkans and Europe all the way to North America. An amalgam of cultural and literary orientations that embraced such traditions and influences as Chinese, Indian, Turkic, Mongolian, Uyghur, Russian, Arabo-Persian, Islamic, Sufi, Judaeo-Christian, Greek, Mesopotamian, Roman, Byzantine, European and Mediterranean, Scandinavian, Germanic and British, French and Spanish, North American, and Latin American. Always receptive to the nurturing values, aesthetic tastes, and literary penchants from diverse civilizations, Turkish culture succeeded in evolving a sui generis personality. It clung onto its own established traits; yet, it was flexible enough to welcome innovations—or even revolutionary change. Among living literatures that preceded Turkish literature, one can only cite Hebrew, Chinese, Greek, Arabic, Persian, German, Indian, Irish, Spanish, and perhaps two or three others. Literature, the premier genre of Turkish culture, had its dawn in Mongolia's Orhon Valley where the Kokturks erected stelae featuring their historical narratives in the 720s and 730s. These inscriptions still stand in situ. They relate the Koktiirk experiences of conflict, defeat, and regained sovereignty. In moving terms, they emphasize the importance of cultural authenticity, of a quasi-national consciousness. Turkic poetry made its debut, in the Uyghur dialect, presumably from the sixth century onward although it is difficult to ascertain the dates. By the tenth century, it had become a living tradition. The Dede Korkut tales (The Book of Dede Korkut), often characterized as "the Turkish national epic," probably had their origins in the tenth century although the epic took about another