The New Dominion

Beginning tomorrow, Sunday, 9 March 2008, The New Dominion will begin a weekly serial translation of Abdurehim Ötkür’s classic historical novel, The Awakened Land (ئويغانغان زېمىن)!

The Awakened Land picks up where Ötkür’s previous novel, Tracks (ئىز) leaves off, dramatizing the period from 1928 — and the plot to assassinate Yang Zengxin — through 1942. It is a very popular work among Uyghurs in Xinjiang, although it is not considered the best example of Ötkür’s work. For this reason, I have chosen it as an initial translation project. If this goes well, perhaps I will feel confident enough in my Uyghur to tackle more serious Uyghur literary classics, like Tracks and Mämtimin Hoshur’s The City Under Sand (قۇم باسقان شەھەر). Comments are entirely welcome.

Abdurehim Tiläshüp Ötkür (1923-1995) was born in Qumul and graduated from Xinjiang University in 1942. A polyglot, he worked as a translator in several government offices until the 1980’s, when he became closely involved with renewed efforts to translate the Qutadghu Bilik and Mahmud Kashgari’s Dictionary of the Turkic Languages. He published The Awakened Land in 1985. For one of the few examples of his work already in English, look for the poem Tracks (ئىز), usually labeled Iz, which comes at the end of the novel of the same name.

Tune in tomorrow!