Historical Novel from Kazakh National Literature: Efsanenin Sonu

Authors : Çağdaş Keçeci

Pages : 104-115

Doi:10.58724/assam.1814600

View : 38 | Download : 267

Publication Date : 2025-11-12

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :In The End of the Legend (Efsanenin Sonu), Abish Kekilbayev articulates one of the most refined examples of the historical novel within Kazakh national literature, intertwining the notions of identity, collective memory, and love. The Soviet period constituted an era during which national themes were censored or ideologically suppressed across the Turkic world. Consequently, numerous writers employed metaphorical and allegorical devices to encode historical consciousness and socio-cultural values within their narratives. This atmosphere of political constraint inevitably directed authors toward symbolic discourse and multi-layered narrative strategies as a means of intellectual resistance. Within this framework, Kekilbayev’s novel reconfigures national and historical values through the lens of a love story. The narrative centers on the psychological and moral transformation of a Khan—once the sovereign of a vast dominion and commander of thousands—whose perception of power and authority gradually deteriorates. The novel traces the Khan’s existential isolation, depicting how his delight in subjugating other nations and witnessing their flags trampled beneath his feet transforms into a profound spiritual desolation. The inaccessibility and fear that accompany fame and absolute sovereignty culminate in a state of inner confinement and solitude. Although the Khan is physically surrounded by wives, children, viziers, and guards, the pervasive anxiety and suspicion enveloping his consciousness render him emotionally detached and spiritually estranged. The ensuing distrust toward others, the sense of futility in confronting death, and the fatalistic submission to destiny constitute the novel’s principal thematic axes. This study undertakes a critical examination of The End of the Legend from the perspective of narrative technique and thematic construction, situating its aesthetic and philosophical dimensions within both individual and collective contexts.
Keywords : EFSANENİN SONU, MİNARE, KIZIL ELMA

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