What They’re Reading: Dushanbe’s Living History
The West has long enjoyed romanticizing notions of Central Asia's so-called Great Game. But few are familiar with how the region's people view their own culture and literary scene. FP sat down with Alii Muhammadi Khorasoni, author, poet, and critic at the Tajik Academy of Sciences, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to discuss what Central Asians are reading.
FOREIGN POLICY: How active is the Tajik literary scene?
FOREIGN POLICY: How active is the Tajik literary scene?
Alii Muhammadi Khorasoni: Quite active. On the one hand, there are many authors writing about the social and political situation in Tajikistan through poems, novels, and journals. Tajikistan also has a rich tradition of mystical writing, a mainstay of Tajik literature across time. Today, we see this mostly in the lyrical verses of poets like Kamol Nasrallah and Alii Muhammadi Ajamii.
FP: What are the most popular titles on sale today?
AMK: Anything that deals with the cultural heritage of Tajikistan, praise of the homeland, and moral dignity. Nasrullah’s book of poems Do Not Divide Tajikistan Any More and Urun Kuhzod’s book Contemporary Tajiks are both popular.
FP: Where do people usually get their books?
AMK: Mainly from small, private bookshops. There are two large bookshops next door to each other in Dushanbe, The Common Bookstore and Publications of Culture and Education, where many people go. Unfortunately, in [small] towns, we don’t have these, and it is difficult for people to get books.
FP: How has Tajikistan’s independence affected the way its authors write about its history?
AMK: Today, historians write a history of Tajikistan that is limited to Tajikistan. But history of the Tajiks cannot be limited to these borders. Tajiks are living in other countries as well.
FP: There is some discussion that another "Great Game" is taking place in Central Asia between global powers competing for political influence. Who is winning on the literary level?
AMK: Our bookstores today are richer and more diverse than ever before. There are many Iranian titles in Persian script. [There] are books in Russian. But we also have some writers in English. For instance, I recently saw a translation of Walt Whitman.
FP: What does Tajikistan’s literary past and present say about the country’s future?
AMK: It has a great influence both in terms of language and style. Rudaki wrote his verses 1,100 years ago, and people today understand his writings without difficulty. Tajik classical literature influences writers from India, Iran, Turkey, the Caucasus, and elsewhere. It is also important because it has great moral and ethical value. Coming generations should nurture it.
Interview: Nicholas Schmidle, a Washington, D.C.-based freelance writer.
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