Деде Коркут

«Посмотрим, хан мой, что он сказал» – Такими словами обозначается участие в повествовании самого сказителя-певца, обращающегося к аудитории, к хану. Подобные слова «от лица сказителя», часто предваряющие прямую речь эпических героев, присутствуют во многих произведениях тюркского фольклора и указывают на древнее устное бытование эпических сказаний.

«Dede Korkut» («Dada Gorgud»), a story by the Azerbaijani writer Anar, is based on the Turkic (Oguz) epic «The book of my grandfather Korkut». One of its twelve heroic tales was first published in German in 1815 and became a major sensation, as Tapagoz (Goggle-eye), one of the main characters of the epic, turned out to bear great resemblance to Polyphemus (a Cyclops) from Homer's «Odyssey» Anar, a modern Azerbaijani author, told an original story. However, his book incorporated most storylines, episodes and even some minor motifs of the epic. The heroic stories, while being populated by typical larger-than-life characters, are often funny and give a good sense of the life of the Oguz. The striving of the Oguz people for living in peace and amity with their neighbors figures prominently in «Dede Korkut».

The book comprises two introductory essays. The first essay by H. Koroglu, Ph.D., offers a detailed analysis of Anar's story, emphasizing its originality, as well as its organic links with the ancient Oguz epic. The other one – by D. Vassiliev and T. Anikeeva – focuses on the historical background and literary features of the "Kitab-I Dede Korkut" epic as a brilliant piece of the Turkic folklore. The previous editions of the book are described with great precision. The authors summarize all twelve parts of the epic, which undeniably gives an insight into traditions and customs of the Oguz. The edition is supplied with notes, explaining Turkic terms, religious beliefs of the Oguz, as well as geographical names, mentioned in the book.

The stories told in Anar's "Dede Korkut" testify to the inimitable style of the Turkic epic. They belong to a variety of genres – from romantic episodes to fairy tales, and this versatility makes the book very readable to different audiences.

This edition of the book aims at preserving and popularizing cultural heritage of Turkic peoples and was published under the auspices of the Mardjani foundation.