A Literary Meeting with Kuanysh Zhienbay Was Held at the ENU Scientific Library

A literary meeting was held at the Scientific Library within the framework of the project “One Book - One Month,” implemented in support of the Head of State’s initiative “On Measures for the Development of Reading Culture and the Formation of an Intellectual Nation.” The event was dedicated to the discussion of the novel The Last Stop in Aralkum by the well-known representative of Kazakh literature, writer Kuanysh Zhienbay.

The meeting was opened by Armanbek Zhakeikhan, an employee of the Scientific Library, who performed a song.

The author of the novel himself, Kuanysh Zhienbay, took part in the event. He spoke about the history of writing the novel, its main ideological line and artistic features, and also answered questions from the participants.

The moderator of the event was Professor Rakhymzhan Turysbek, Doctor of Philological Sciences, who comprehensively analyzed the place of Kuanysh Zhienbay’s work in Kazakh prose and provided an in-depth literary analysis of the ideological content and artistic features of the novel The Last Stop in Aralkum.

The novel is set in the Aral region, near the small railway siding of Aralkum, located not far from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The work realistically depicts the destinies of ordinary working people, social values that have changed over time, and the difficult periods of human life.

During the meeting, Zhanbota Karipbay, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Kazakh Literature, literary scholar, and PhD, delivered a speech and expressed gratitude to the guest. Students of the Faculty of Philology who had written essays on the novel presented their works and exchanged opinions on the topical issues raised in the book. Particularly lively discussions focused on the symbolic meaning of the novel’s title, the destinies of its characters, the relationship between the individual and society, as well as the environmental situation in the Aral region.

As part of the evening, a book exhibition featuring the writer’s works was organized. At the end of the meeting, the author donated his books to the library collection and expressed his best wishes to the readers.

Such literary meetings increase students’ interest in reading and provide an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the national literary heritage.