The Post-Soviet Condition: Chingiz Aitmatov in the ‘ 90s

The Post-Soviet Condition: Chingiz Aitmotiv in the’ 90s’, examines the works of one of the foremost writers of not only Kyrgyzstan, but of the former Soviet Union. Chingiz Aitmatov’s stories, novellas and novels were conceived within the canon of socialist realism but also proved the author to be a ‘Critical insider’. Chingiz Aitmatov bore witness to the periods of the Second World War, Stalinism, the Thaw, Stagnation, perestroika and Postsocialism. His works since the ‘50s reflected Kyrgyz life and the life of the other nationalities in the broader framework of the Soviet Union. While Aitmatov’s works in the Soviet period were greeted as important cultural events and widely discussed, his works of the ‘90s have not received much attention at home or abroad. This book critically analyses Aitmatov’s works of the ‘90s, the ways in which he articulates new positions or relocates old ones, the issues of post-Soviet life that he focuses upon and the new realism he adopts after the demise of socialist realism.