Religious Factors in Chingiz Aitmatov's Works

The Turks; they have adopted religions and beliefs such as the cult of ancestors, Tengrism, Shamanism, Buddhism, Manichaeism, Animism, Totemism, Christianity, and Islam from the earliest times to the present. When looking at the first works of Chingiz Aitmatov written within the framework of these beliefs, the cult of ancestors, the cult of nature, Animism, Shamanism, Buddhism, the Sky God and the influence of Islam are at the forefront, while the Christian teachings come to the fore in his recent works. When the characters in the novels are analyzed, it is also perceived that a reformer religion and understanding of God contradicts the Christian belief. In the study, the beliefs with which Turks interacted throughout history and the characteristics of these beliefs are discussed in detail through Aitmatov's works. As it is known, in addition to folk literature genres such as mythology, legend, epic, folk song, religious beliefs adopted by Turks throughout history, customs, traditions and rituals of their own culture, problems of the world regarding the present and the future, and similar issues are frequently handled in Aitmatov's works through literary characters. It can be said that these works, which have become the property of world literature, derive their originality and universality from the rich Turkish cultural structure, aesthetics and literary heritage. In this respect, Chingiz Aitmatov has the distinction of being a universal writer who has transcended his time and place. In the article, the messages that are intended to be given to the readers on the level of belief and in the lower layer of the texts through his works are examined in all their dimensions.

Cite this article: Yılmaz, T. (2022) Religious Factors in Chingiz Aitmatov's Works. Turcology Research, 74, 305-314.