Novel
Хөх судар
Not translated into English
Vanchinbalyn Injinash · 1871
Synopsis
The novel tells the story of the Mongols of the thirteenth century, beginning with the early years of Genghis Khan, which the Chinese chronicles left in the shadows. It follows the warriors gathered around the khan, their ties with one another, with the soldiers and with the common people, then the rise of the Yuan dynasty. A long preface, mixed with reflections on Buddhism, the neighbouring peoples, language and writing, precedes the narrative.
Context
The novel was begun by the author's father, who wrote its first eight chapters, and completed by his son with the help of his brothers. The preface reproaches the Chinese chronicles for taking up Genghis Khan only at the age of forty-four and for treating the Mongols with contempt. Remaining in manuscript, the text had its first printed edition in 1940 and was then read in Mongolia as a history book. John Gombojab Hangin published in Wiesbaden, from 1973 to 1979, the manuscript of the expanded version, along with a study that sees in it the first novel written in Mongolian.
Who it is for
A long novel in Classical Mongolian, with no French translation; its preface exists in Russian, in a translation of 2014.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as the first historical novel of Mongolian literature, and as the title by which its author is known outside his country.
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