ARTISTIC AND STYLISTIC FEATURES OF MEMOIR PROSE IN DAGESTAN LITERATURE OF THE MIDDLE OF THE XIX CENTURY (BASED ON THE MEMOIR WORKS OF ABDULLA OMAROV)

Abstract

The work explores artistic and stylistic features of memoirs of Abdulla Omarov, a famous Dagestani educator, Arabist scholar, one of the founders of Dagestani Russian-language literature. The purpose of the study is to analyze the poetics of the memoir prose of this author. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that for the first time the genre and artistic aspects of Abdulla Omarov’s prose become the object of monographic scientific research. The memoirs of this author are one of the most significant phenomena in Dagestan prose of the mid-19th century. For a long time they were considered in the scientific literature mainly as a source of important historical and ethnographic information for historians and ethnologists. Without disputing these aspects of Abdulla Omarov’s memoirs, the article focuses on identifying the artistic features of his works. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the language of these works, the psychologism of his prose and the multilayered problem of the author are considered. As a result of the study, it is found that texts of Abdulla Omarov are the earliest example of secular realistic prose in Dagestan literature, and are also characterized by the first depiction of childhood in the literatures of Dagestan peoples. It should also be noted that it is Abdulla Omarov’s writings that for the first time presented a realistic picture of the daily life of Dagestani mountaineers, revealed the peculiarities of their mentality, and also revealed the atmosphere of the Tibetan school. The stylistic mastery of Abdulla Omarov’s prose is also noted. In addition, the paper traces the connection between works of Abdulla Omarov and Russian literature of the XIX century, its influence on the formation of the author’s personality, his aesthetic views and the style of his works is noted.