Novel
Ак-Мечеть
Not translated into English
Nikolai Anov · 1948
Synopsis
In 1853, Governor-General Vasily Perovsky leads his Turkestan campaign against the Kokand fortress of Ak-Mechet, on the Syr Darya. Among those who follow him is the poet Aleksey Pleshcheyev, exiled in Orenburg, whom the novel makes its main character. Through him, the book recounts a page of Kazakhstan's history, its annexation to Russia, and what it presents as the beginnings of friendship between the two peoples.
Context
The novel appeared in 1948 in Alma-Ata, from the Kazakh state publishing house, then was reissued in 1954, in 1957, in Orenburg in 1958 and in 1965; a Kazakh translation, Aqmeşit, appeared in 1960. The Russian State Library catalogues it as a historical novel about Pleshcheyev, and the literary map of Orenburg dates it to 1950 and stresses that the author knew the history of the region well. The Pushkin Library of Almaty sees in it the account of a complex and dramatic moment for the country.
Who it is for
A Soviet historical novel, to be read for the way the post-war period told the story of the Russian conquest of Central Asia.
Prizes and reception
The literary map of the Orenburg region includes it among the works that link its author to the region.
Sources for this page 3
The pages consulted to check this page.