The Myth of The East in The Tashkent Poems of A.A. Akhmatova
Main Article Content
Abstract
The Tashkent poems of Anna Akhmatova reflect a unique phase in her poetic evolution, shaped during her wartime exile in Uzbekistan. While Akhmatova’s Russian works have been widely studied, her engagement with Eastern motifs—particularly the cultural and linguistic elements of Uzbekistan—remains underexplored. This study employs literary analysis, focusing on symbolic imagery, metaphor, and intertextual references across Akhmatova’s Tashkent cycle. The research uncovers Akhmatova’s deliberate construction of an Eastern myth through nature, historical allusions, everyday life, and linguistic borrowing from Uzbek and Persian-Turkic lexicons. It reveals how Akhmatova integrates Oriental aesthetics without exoticizing, creating an authentic, multi-dimensional image of the East. These findings illuminate the cultural hybridity in Akhmatova’s wartime poetics and contribute to broader discussions on cross-cultural literary expression and identity within Soviet literature.
Article Details
Issue
Section
How to Cite
References
[1] O. Bertelsen, Akhmatova and Her Circle: Poetics, Politics and Personalities. New York: Peter Lang, 2012.
[2] C. Mango, Byzantium: The Empire of New Rome. London: Phoenix Press, 2002.
[3] N. Gumilyov, Collected Works: in 4 volumes, т. 2. Moscow: TERRA, 1991.
[4] A. Akhmatova, Collected Works: in 6 volumes, т. 2. Moscow: Ellis Luck, 1999.
[5] Q. K. T, Hilol-nashr. Hilol-nashr, 2018.
[6] A. Jomiy, Layli va Majnun. Toshkent: G’ofur G’ulom, 1989.
[7] L. Nikolenko, «Letters about Tashkent». [Онлайн]. Доступно на: https://mytashkent.uz/2010/04/17/gafur-gulyam-tyi-ne-sirota/
[8] E. W. Said, Orientalism. New York: Pantheon Books, 1978.
[9] G. G. Khazagerov, «Orientalism in Russian Literature: Poetic Myth and Political Symbolism», Russ. Lit., т. 55, вып. 3, сс. 299–317, 2004.
[10] A. Tolstoy, «Russian Orientalism in the Silver Age», в Essays on Russian Poets, V. Terras, Ред., University of Wisconsin Press, 1983, сс. 112–130.
[11] G. L. Kozlovskaya, «Scheherazade. A Thousand and One Memories». [Онлайн]. Доступно на: https://biography.wikireading.ru/253911
[12] I. Sluzhevskaya, «“So this is what you are like, the East!..” Asia in the lyrics of A. Akhmatova’s Tashkent era». [Онлайн]. Доступно на: http://ahmatova.niv.ru/ahmatova/kritika/sluzhevskaya-tak-vot-ty-kakoj-vostok.htm
[13] A. Yakubovsky, «Tamerlane - conqueror of Asia». [Онлайн]. Доступно на: https://mir-knig.com/read_417953-11
[14] V. Vs. Ivanov, «Themes and styles of the East in the poetry of the West», в Eastern motifs: Poems and verses, L. E. Cherkassky и V. S. Muravyov, Ред., Moscow: Science, 1985, сс. 424–470.
[15] A. Akhmatova, «Translations of Eastern Poets». 1943 г.