Chuvash literature ( cv, Чӑваш литератури) is

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

written in the

Chuvash language Chuvash ( , ; , , ) is a Turkic language spoken in European Russia, primarily in the Chuvash Republic and adjacent areas. It is the only surviving member of the Oghur branch of Turkic languages, one of the two principal branches of the Tur ...

, regardless of the

ethnic origin An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

of the authors or the place of publication. This term applies to fictional works, but does not include

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

History

The

is the only surviving member of the Oghur or

Bulgar Bulgar may refer to: *Bulgars, extinct people of Central Asia *Bulgar language, the extinct language of the Bulgars * Oghur languages Bulgar may also refer to: *Bolghar, the capital city of Volga Bulgaria *Bulgur, a wheat product * Bulgar, an Ash ...

branch of the

Turkic languages The Turkic languages are a language family of over 35 documented languages, spoken by the Turkic peoples of Eurasia from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe to Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia ( Siberia), and Western Asia. The Turkic l ...

; therefore, Chuvash literature begins with ancient Turkic literature. The oldest known Chuvash texts appear on the

gravestones A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. It is traditional for burials in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, among others. In most cases, it has the deceased's name, da ...

left by the

Volga Bulgars Volga Bulgaria or Volga–Kama Bulgaria, was a historic Bulgar state that existed between the 7th and 13th centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama River, in what is now European Russia. Volga Bulgaria was a multi-ethnic state wi ...

in the 13th and 14th centuries in the Middle

Volga The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchm ...

region, during the rule of the

Golden Horde The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fragme ...

. Most of the

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

s on the tombstones were written in Oghur languages, of which Chuvash is the only extant member. While these epitaphs cannot be considered full-fledged literary works, they do record the Chuvash language of the Golden Horde. Even in their plain texts you can find a certain artistry, and in some instances there is even plot development.

18th century - Early 19th century

More artistic texts in the Chuvash languages began to appear in the 18th century, with the emergence of the Chuvash alphabet. For example, one

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

by an anonymous writer in 1767 praised Catherine the Great, Empress of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

: Пелмастапар абирь тя минь барас парня, Сана, чиберь патша, пора-мырынь Ання, Jоратнышан пире. Пелмаста мар хальчен Тора, хужу сюльда. Пельзан и дах чечень. Памалых сяванжен, нимень сjок чон анчах, — Парня вырня полдар вулда аппинь санах! Translation: We do not know what to give you beautiful queen, universal mother, for the love of us. Did not know until now. Goddess, which is in heaven, It turns out she is very elegant. We have nothing significant except our souls. May they be a gift to you! More than 10 similar Chuvash poems, mostly by unknown authors, have been identified. One of them, written in 1795 and dedicated to archbishop Ambrose, is usually attributed to

Nikita Bichurin Nikita Yakovlevich Bichurin (Никита Яковлевич Бичурин) (29 August 1777 – 11 May 1853, St. Petersburg), better known under his archimandrite monastic name Hyacinth (sometimes rendered as Joacinth), or Iakinf (Иакин� ...

(1777-1853). E.I. Rozhanski (1741-1801), one of the founders of the original Chuvash alphabet, also wrote literature in Chuvash. For example, he translated the Short Catechism into the Chuvash language in 1800, which was the first book published in the Chuvash language. Another piece of Chuvash literature called "Chvash Aber Boldymyr", perhaps by V.I. Lebedev, dates to the same period (1852).

Late 19th century

The current Chuvash alphabet (based on the Russian alphabet) was created in the early 1870s by IY Yakovlev, a great educator and social activist. During these years, there were works in the Chuvash language using this new alphabet. The highest achievement of the Chuvash literature of this period may be a poem by Mikhail Fedorov (1848-1904), titled ''Arzuri''. It was written in 1884 and spread among the population, but was actually published much later, in 1908. During these years, Ignatius Ivanov (1848-1885) also wrote works of literature. He is best known as the author of a series of short stories entitled "How to Live Chuvash" Some of his creations have been published in the primer by I. Ya. Yakovlev, alongside many other works of Chuvash literature.Революцичченхи чӑваш литератури. Текстсем. I том. Ш., 1984 — 432-435 сс.

19th to 20th centuries (1886-1903)

The formal starting point of this period is considered to be 1886, when Ivan Yurkin (1863-1943) began his literary career by writing his first short story. He became a large figure in the Chuvash culture and, in particular, in the realm of literature. Yurkin's major works of literature include "Wealth" and "The Man is Full, But His Eyes Were Hungry". He was also known as a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

and an active defender of the traditional religion of the Chuvash.

Chuvash literature of the 20th century

References

Literature

* «Чӑваш литературин антологийӗ», составители: Д. В. Гордеев, Ю. А. Силэм. Шупашкар, 2003. . * Виталий Родионов, «Чӑваш литератури. XVIII—XIX ӗмӗрсем», Чебоксары, 2006. . * Юхма Мишши, "Авалхи чӑвашсем, Чебоксары, 1996.

External links

История развития чувашской литературы/ The history of the Chuvash literature

Культурное наследие Чувашии. Писатели/ Cultural heritage Chuvashia. Writers
{{European literature Literature of Chuvashia European literature