Defense of the dissertation of Asan Akerke for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the specialty «6D021400 - Әдебиеттану»

L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, a dissertation defense for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) by Asan Akerke on the topic «topic «Magical Realism in Russian and Kazakh Prose of the second half of the ХХ Century» by specialty «6D021400 – Әдебиеттану».

The dissertation was carried out at the «Russian Philology education department» of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

The language of defense is russian

Official reviewers:

Safronova Lyudmila Vasilyevna – Professor of the Department of Russian Language and Literature at Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor (Almaty, Kazakhstan);

Ananyeva Svetlana Viktorovna – Head of the Department of World Literature and International Relations at the M.O. Auezov Institute of Literature and Art, Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor (Almaty, Kazakhstan).

Temporary members of the Dissertation Committee:

Farida Imamutdinovna Gabidullina – Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor at the Department of Tatar Philology, Elabuga Institute of Kazan Federal University (Kazan, Tatarstan);

Orynkhanova Gibadat Amanzholovna – Associate Professor of the Department of Russian Language and Literature, Institute of Philology, Kazakh National Women’s Teacher Training University, Candidate of Philological Sciences (Almaty, Kazakhstan)

Zhadyra Amangeldiyevna Bayanbayeva – Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Russian Philology and World Literature at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (Almaty, Kazakhstan).

Scientific advisors:

Nurgali Kadisha Rustembekovna – Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor of the Department of Russian Philology, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (Astana, Kazakhstan);

Mineralova Irina Georgievna – Doctor of Philology, Professor, Moscow Pedagogical State University (Moscow, Russia).

The defense will take place on November 14, 2026, at 11:00 AM in the Dissertation Council for the training direction «8D023 – Languages and literature» in the specialty «6D021400 – Әдебиеттану» of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. The defense meeting is planned to be held offline and online.

Link: https://clck.su/qENko

Address: Astana, K. Satpayev St., 2, Educational and Administrative Building, Room 302.

Abstract (English): The dissertation by Assan Akerke Kamashkekyzy on the topic “Magical Realism in Russian and Kazakh Prose of the second half of the ХХ Century” has been prepared for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the educational program 8D02314 – Literary Studies. ABSTRACT Relevance of the Research Topic. Magical realism occupies a distinctive place in the literary process of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries as an artistic phenomenon based on the organic coexistence of the real and the fantastic, the rational and the mythological. Traditionally, its emergence has been associated primarily with Latin American literature and the works of Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez, Alejo Carpentier, Julio Cortázar, and other writers. At the same time, developments in literary studies over recent decades have demonstrated that magical realism is not confined to a single national or regional tradition, but constitutes a phenomenon of the global literary process that is manifested in different ways across various cultural contexts. Contemporary literary scholarship continues to address a number of debatable issues related to the theoretical understanding of magical realism, including the definition of its status within the system of literary categories, its differentiation from the fantastic, the mythological, the grotesque, and other modes of artistic representation, as well as the identification of the national and cultural specificity of its functioning. The relevance of the research is also determined by the insufficient study of magical realism in Russian and Kazakh literature. At the same time, both literary traditions possess their own historical, cultural, and mythopoetic prerequisites for the development of artistic models corresponding to the principles of magical realism. The appeal to myth and folklore, the synthesis of different modes of artistic representation of reality, the interaction between the real and the unreal, and the multidimensionality of artistic space make it possible to regard magical realism not as an exclusively Latin American phenomenon, but as an artistic method that develops independently within different national literatures. A comparative study of Russian and Kazakh prose makes it possible to identify both the general typological patterns of magical realism and its nationally specific forms, determined by the particularities of cultural memory, mythopoetic consciousness, folklore traditions, and individual authorial artistic systems. State of Research on the Topic. The theoretical and historical-literary aspects of magical realism have been addressed in the works of both domestic and international scholars. The genesis, terminological definition, aesthetic nature, and poetics of magical realism have been examined by Yu.B. Borev, A.A. Gugnin, Yu.N. Girin, V.B. Zemskov, A.F. Kofman, E.G. Maslova, L.I. Malchukov, M.A. Mozheiko, O.O. Ovcharenko, N.Z. Shamsutdinova, K.N. Kislitsyn, I.V. Kalita, N.M. Leiderman, A.K. Yakimovich, and other researchers. The works of J.G. Frazer, V.N. Toporov, O.M. Freidenberg, and other scholars of myth, ritual, and traditional culture are of particular importance for identifying the mythopoetic, historical, and cultural foundations of the artistic method under consideration. The study of Kazakh literature also draws upon the research of B. Maitanov, Zh. Aimukhambetova, R. Nurgali, K. Nurgali, S. Altybayeva, S. Ananyeva, S.A. Kaskabassov, S. Kondybai, R.B. Berdibayev, Sh.I. Ibrayev, Z. Nauryzbayeva, B.A. Zhetpisbayeva, B.A. Abdigaziuly, V.V. Savelyeva, A.Zh. Zhaksylykov, A.S. Ismakova, L.V. Safronova, G.Zh. Orda, and other scholars whose works address mythologism, national poetics, intertextuality, and artistic transformations in Kazakh prose. Despite the considerable amount of research available, the comparative study of magical realism as an artistic method in Russian and Kazakh prose requires further systematization and theoretical conceptualization. Object of the Research. The object of the research is magical realism as an artistic method in world, Russian, and Kazakh literature of the second half of the twentieth century, examined in terms of its genesis, evolution, and representation in individual authorial artistic systems, as well as its subsequent transformation and functioning in the literature of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Subject of the Research. The subject of the research comprises the poetic, narrative, stylistic, and receptive features of magical realism in Russian and Kazakh prose, primarily in the works of Anatoly Kim, Vladimir Orlov, Mukhtar Magauin, and Talaptan Akhmetzhan. The principal literary material includes Anatoly Kim’s Otec-les and Posyolok kentavrov; works by Vladimir Orlov, including the novels Altist Danilov, Aptekar, Shevrikuka, ili Lyubov k privideniyu, and the cycle Ostankinskie istorii; Mukhtar Magauin’s novella Kypchakskaya krasavitsa; Talaptan Akhmetzhan’s Tұma; as well as a number of other works of Russian and Kazakh literature that make it possible to trace various forms and modifications of magical realism. Aim of the Research. The aim of the research is to determine the specificity of magical realism as an artistic method in Russian and Kazakh prose of the second half of the twentieth century, to identify the general typological patterns and national-cultural characteristics of its functioning, and to characterize the individual authorial forms through which this method is realized in the works under study. To achieve this aim, the following objectives are set: – to systematize the principal international and domestic scholarly approaches to defining the concept of “magical realism” and to clarify its status in literary studies; – to examine the genesis and the main stages in the development of magical realism within the global literary process; – to identify the set of artistic principles and techniques that make it possible to regard magical realism as an artistic method; – to determine the historical-cultural and mythopoetic prerequisites for the formation of magical realism in the Russian and Kazakh literary traditions; – to identify typological similarities and nationally specific differences in the realization of magical realism in Russian and Kazakh prose; – to examine the distinctive features of magical realism in the works of Anatoly Kim and Vladimir Orlov; – to identify the specificity of magical realism in the works of Mukhtar Magauin and Talaptan Akhmetzhan and to determine the significance of the Kazakh folklore and mythological tradition in the formation of their artistic systems; – to determine the role of magical realism in creating a multidimensional artistic reality and expanding the receptive potential of a literary work; – to characterize the place of magical realism in the contemporary Eurasian literary process. Theoretical and Methodological Framework. The theoretical and methodological framework of the research is based on works devoted to the theory and history of magical realism, comparative literature, the theory of artistic method, mythopoetics, semiotics, and literary history. In defining the nature of magical realism and its typological characteristics, the research takes into account scholarly concepts presented in the works of Yu.B. Borev, A.A. Gugnin, Yu.N. Girin, V.B. Zemskov, A.F. Kofman, E.G. Maslova, L.I. Malchukov, M.A. Mozheiko, O.O. Ovcharenko, N.Z. Shamsutdinova, I.V. Kalita, K.N. Kislitsyn, N.M. Leiderman, and A.K. Yakimovich. The theoretical-literary, historical, and cultural specificity of the phenomenon under study is also conceptualized with reference to the fundamental works of J.G. Frazer, V.N. Toporov, O.M. Freidenberg, and other scholars of myth, ritual, and traditional culture. In examining Kazakh prose and its mythopoetic foundations, the research also draws upon the works of Kazakhstani literary scholars devoted to national poetics, mythologism, intertextuality, and the artistic development of twentieth- and twenty-first-century literature. Research Methods. The research employs comparative-historical, historical-cultural, structural-semiotic, and comparative methods. The comparative-historical method makes it possible to identify typological similarities and differences in the formation and development of magical realism in Russian and Kazakh prose, to trace forms of interliterary interaction, and to determine general and nationally specific models of the functioning of this artistic method. The historical-cultural method is used to identify the historical and cultural prerequisites for the emergence and development of magical realism, including its relationship with folk culture, myth, and ritual. The structural-semiotic method is applied to the analysis of the artistic structure of literary works, their systems of images, and their generic and stylistic features. The comparative method makes it possible to identify the specificity of magical realism in different national literary traditions and to determine its place in the global literary process. Scientific Novelty. The scientific novelty of the dissertation lies in the fact that, for the first time: – international and Kazakhstani studies of magical realism have been synthesized, and the principal approaches to its interpretation in literary scholarship have been systematized with reference to Kazakhstani literary studies; – the works of Anatoly Kim and Vladimir Orlov have been examined from the perspective of the specific ways in which magical realism is realized; – a scholarly interpretation of the manifestations of magical realism in Kazakh literature has been presented, and the prerequisites, current state, and prospects for the development of this phenomenon within the national literary tradition have been examined; – the works of Mukhtar Magauin and Talaptan Akhmetzhan have been examined in terms of the characteristic features of magical realism manifested in them; – the phenomenon of magical realism has been considered in terms of its functions and significance within the Eurasian literary process. Propositions Submitted for Defense The study of international and domestic scholarly approaches to the concept of “magical realism” demonstrates the dynamic nature of its terminological content. Researchers identify different dominant features of the phenomenon; consequently, its theoretical definition depends on the analytical principles adopted and on the set of artistic techniques under consideration. Magical realism should primarily be regarded as an artistic method involving the variable use of a particular set of artistic means and techniques. Its significant characteristics include intra-literary and artistic synthesis, reliance on myth in the structure of the literary image, and various forms of interaction between the real and the fantastic. An examination of the genesis, current state, and prospects of magical realism in world, Russian, and Kazakh literature demonstrates that an author’s affiliation with this artistic method does not necessarily receive an explicit authorial designation. It may manifest itself at the level of poetics, individual style, the system of images, and the means of organizing artistic reality. The study of the works of Anatoly Kim and Vladimir Orlov makes it possible to identify specific features of Russian magical realism that distinguish its national model from traditional conceptions of magical realism developed primarily on the basis of Latin American literature. Features of magical realism are represented in the Kazakh prose of Zhusupbek Aimauytov, Oralkhan Bokeyev, Mukhtar Magauin, Tolen Abdikov, Anes Sarai, and Talaptan Akhmetzhan. The specificity of magical realism in the prose of Mukhtar Magauin and Talaptan Akhmetzhan is directly related to the writers’ engagement with folklore genres, mythological representations, and forms of the traditional culture of the Kazakh people. Magical realism continues to play a significant role in the development of the contemporary literary space of Eurasia, as can be observed, in particular, in the artistic systems of Anatoly Kim and Mukhtar Magauin. Magical realism contributes to the formation of multidimensional artistic perception and expands the receptive potential of a literary work. Theoretical Significance of the Research. The theoretical significance of the dissertation research lies in the development of a typological model of magical realism as applied to the Russian and Kazakh literary traditions, as well as in clarifying the status of magical realism as an artistic method within the transnational literary process. The results of the research make it possible to refine scholarly understanding of the relationship between the universal principles of magical realism and their national-cultural modifications. Practical Significance of the Research. The practical significance of the research lies in the possibility of using the dissertation results in teaching literary theory and literary history, particularly in the study of such categories as “artistic method,” “style,” “poetics,” and “magical realism,” as well as in courses addressing the global literary process and the works of individual Russian and Kazakh writers. The research materials may be used in the development of textbooks and teaching materials, courses on the history of Russian and Kazakh literature of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, literary theory, comparative literature, and specialized courses devoted to the poetics of magical realism. Publications on the Dissertation Topic. In international peer-reviewed journals indexed in Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus: 1. Assan A.K. Artistic Synthesis in the Novels of A.A. Kim: Genre, Style, Method // RUDN Journal of Studies in Literature and Journalism. – 2024. – Vol. 29. – No. 3. – P. 413–430. In journals included in the HAC RK list: 1. Assan A.K. Magical Realism in the Prose of A. Kim and O. Bokeyev // Bulletin of Sh. Ualikhanov Kokshetau State University. Philological Series. – Kokshetau, 2016. – No. 2. – P. 194–200. 2. Assan A.K. Philosophical and Aesthetic Experience and Ways of Its Realization in the Literature of the Second Half of the 20th Century // Bulletin of Karaganda State University. Philological Series. – 2019. – No. 1 (93). – P. 50–59. – ISSN 2518-198Х (Print), ISSN 2663-5127 (Online). 3. Assan A.K. MAGICAL REALIZM: JUSTIFICATION OF THE TERM AND FEATURES OF DEVELOPMENT // Bulletin of Pavlodar State University. Philological Series. – Pavlodar, 2019. – No. 3. – P. 59–64. – ISSN 1811-1823. 4. Sagidullieva, S.S., Sagynadin, G.S., Assan, A.K. Interpretation of Magical Motifs in Fictional Prose. Bulletin of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. Philology Series. – 2026. – No. 3 (156). – P. 216–226. ISSN (Print) 2616-678X. ISSN (Online) 2663-1288. Publications in the proceedings of international scientific conferences and symposia: 1. Assan A.K. Magical Realism in the Prose of A. Kim and O. Bokeyev / Scientific Supervisor: K.R. Nurgali // Integrative Functions of Contemporary Comparative Studies: Proceedings of the II International Symposium Dedicated to the 75th Anniversary of Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan R.N. Nurgali: Collection of Papers by Doctoral and Master’s Students of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, November 19–20. – Astana, 2015. – P. 59–69. 2. Assan A.K. Modernist Features in Anatoly Kim’s Novel The Joys of Paradise // Russian Studies and the Contemporary World: Collection of Articles of the XIX International Scientific Conference: in 2 vols. – Astana, 2016. – Vol. 2. – P. 265–269. 3. Assan A.K. Magical Realism in the Works of Anatoly Kim (Based on the Novel The Joys of Paradise) // Proceedings of the International Scientific and Practical Conference “IX Dulatov Readings: M.Kh. Dulati and the Turkic World,” Dedicated to the 25th Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan. – Taraz: Taraz University, 2016. – P. 294–296. 4. Assan A.K. Features of Magical Realism in Kazakh Poetry (Based on the Works of M. Zhumabayev) // Proceedings of the XIII International Scientific Conference of Students and Young Scholars “Science and Education – 2018”. – Astana, 2018. – P. 2883–2888. 5. Assan A.K. The Poetics of Magical Realism in Vladimir Orlov’s Short Story “Something Rang Out” // International Scientific and Methodological Conference of Young Philologists “Philological Scholarship in the 21st Century: A View of Young Researchers”. – Moscow: Moscow Pedagogical State University, May 25, 2017.

Dissertation

List of Scientific Works

Consultant's Review

Foreign Consultant's Review

Conclusion of the Research Ethics Committee