Untold Will / Невысказанное завещание (на английском языке). Амирхан Еники

      Anthony J. Elia, the J.S. Bridwell Foundation Endowed Librarian and Director of Bridwell Library, has been on the faculty of Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University since 2018. His areas of research include theology and cybersecurity, the history of epic and contemporary literatures, and Islamic-Christian encounters in Central Asia, especially related to Turkic-speaking cultures and societies. He is also a composer of classical and contemporary music with broad representative themes, including his 2013 ballet for full orchestra Damascus at Night, which depicts the tragedies of the Syrian conflict, and the 2019 Mongolian language chamber piece Praise of Mahakala for tenor ensemble. He currently researches the role and influence of 20th century Tatar literature

      Tatar literature in translation: a preface

      The great tragedy of Tatar literature is that it is not more widely translated, distributed, or known. Its grand history, depth, and breadth demonstrate a superb richness that comes from any great culture, yet by the numbers Tatar literature is sorely underrepresented on the global literary stage. With a worldwide population including those in the Tatar diaspora exceeding six million, one would assume that the extraordinary treasures of its cultures would be more widely represented and known.

      Perhaps this shall now change, even if slowly. Upon taking up an interest in this discipline, specifically in Tatar literature and its role in local, national, regional, and global history, I have been profoundly taken by the extent of the cultural treasure that has remained untapped by both the European and American academies. It is actually quite astonishing that with such a deep well of magnificent literary texts that the publishing communities in the United States and elsewhere have not picked up on these materials for translation. That said, whatever the many reasons are for this shortcoming in translational history, there are now more scholars working to change this direction. Indeed, my own entrance into the world of Tatar literature came through both study of Turkic sister languages and Russian. If we were to look at the historical studies and translations of Tatar literature itself, a sizeable number of these works themselves are in Russian. In fact, one could look at a whole list today and find most volumes will have titles such as Tatarskaia literature i vostochnaia klassika: voprosy vzaimosviazei i poetiki (1991), Portrety i problemy: izbrannye stat’i raznykh let (1985), and Zolotaia epokha tatarskogo renessansa: monografiia (2004). We cannot deny the important undertakings of those scholars, who have labored with great dedication over the decades, and who brought their work into the wider Russian-speaking world and audiences. Yet, perhaps there is some irony in the work of one writer in particular: Amirkhan Eniki (1909–2001).