150th anniversary of Muryn Zhyrau Sengirbayev

Almaty, October 07, 2009 (Khabar) - Kazakhstan literature experts have been celebrating the 150th anniversary of folk tale narrator Muryn Zhyrau Sengirbayev who has also been referred to as the Homer of the 20th century. He was the author of the epic entitled “40 heroes of the Crimea” which described historical events between the 14th and the 17th centuries in the life of the Kazakhs, Nogais, Turkmen and Kyrgyz who had populated the area from the Crimea peninsula through to the Altai mountains. Despite the large historical and artistic significance of this tale, the epic and its author Muryn Zhyrau Sengirbayev remained unknown to many people. A collection of works by Sengirbayev was published in Kazakh only during the last century. Now, as part of the Cultural Heritage program, a second edition of works by the forgotten writer called “40 heroes of the Crimea” has been published. The book is soon expected to be translated into Russian.

Dina Yesenzhan, translator:
- I think the works by Muryn Sengirbayev have become very popular. We can also see some Russian speaking people studying the Kazakh language through epic stories. The language of epics is easy and it can be easily comprehended and reproduced.