Munabiya

by Kazat Akmatov, Laura Hamilton (Editor), Varvara Perekrest (Illustrator)

Munabiya by Kazat Akmatov National Writer of Kyrgyzstan
Recently translated into English Akmatov’s two love stories are set in rural
Kyrgyzstan, where the natural environment, local culture, traditions and political
climate all play an integral part in the dramas which unfold.
Munabiya is a tale of a family’s frustration, fury, sadness and eventual acceptance
of a long term love affair between the widowed father and his mistress.
In contrast, Shahidka is a multi-stranded story which focuses on the ties which
bind a series of individuals to the tragic and ill-fated union between a local Russian
girl and her Chechen lover, within a multi-cultural community where violence,
corruption and propaganda are part of everyday life. ____________

“It takes more than one reading to fully enter
this world. It’s up to the reader to read and
reread and discover the rest of the carefully
woven threads of this family tragedy where not
everything is said out loud. This is a beautiful
story which moved me profoundly. If you
want to get to the heart of the Kyrgyz people,
I recommend that you look to the novels of
Kazat Akmatov. You will be well rewarded!”
-- Peter Wullen, Literature Critic

58 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 19, 2015

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting for me to read because I currently reside in Kyrgyzstan, and Akmatov is the national writer of Kyrgyzstan. He began the Democratic Movement here, which eventually accomplished separation from the Soviet Union. His work is very important here.

Although I did enjoy reading the two short stories contained in this book (Munabiya and Shahidka), there are several translation issues and grammatical errors that are quite unfortunate. Munabiya is about a man who carries on an extramarital affair for the entirety of his married life, while raising his children and providing for his family. The time frame is after the death of his wife, and focuses on the issues presented by his having a long-time lover. The story is told from the perspective of his adult son as he attempts to reconcile the infidelity of his father. Shahidka is a rather disjointed story about a woman (Sveta) who elopes with a Chechen military captain on the evening of her wedding to a Russian to whom she was betrothed as a child. Sveta disappears mysteriously on her wedding night, and a search for her ensues. The story is told from the perspective of her boss, who was in love with her and wants desperately to find her and reconcile his feelings for her. At times it is rather difficult to keep the story straight because there are many tangents, and the time line is far from linear.

I did enjoy Akmatov's writing style. His descriptions of the land and the people of Kyrgyzstan are beautiful. He also elaborates quite a lot on the cultural customs of the people. This was fascinating for me.

I do not care for Akmatov's permissive attitude toward the poor treatment of women. This, of course, originates from cultural attitudes, but one would hope that this could be overcome. For example, in Munabiya the woman with whom the protagonist's father was having an affair is unapologetically portrayed as being at fault for the affair and making the husband's wife miserable. This occurs while the father receives no blame for the situation.

Overall, this was a quick, easy read that held my interest and helped me learn more about Kyrgyzstan. I would recommend it to anyone.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Munabiya was a stronger story than the conflicted Shahidka.