Bygone Days: O'tkan Kunlar

by Abdulla Qodiriy, Mark Edward Reese (Translator)

1847 reist ein junger Kaufmann aus Taschkent in Geschäften nach Marghilan, verliebt sich, heiratet und ist glücklich. Doch es gärt im Khanat, die Despoten gehen sich gegenseitig an die Gurgel. Der Vater des Kaufmanns versucht sich vermittelnd zwischen die Kontrahenten zu stellen, während der junge Kaufmann Opfer einer Intrige wird. Seine Frau kann ihn vor dem Henker retten. Doch sein Nebenbuhler ersinnt einen teuflischen Plan. In Taschkent kommt es zu einem Mas- saker. Als seine Eltern ihn mit einer zweiten Frau verheiraten, eskalieren die Ereignisse, und der junge Kaufmann kehrt mit einer falscher Identität nach Marghilan zurück …
»Die Liebenden von Taschkent« von 1926 ist der Klassiker der zentralasiatischen Literatur, auf Deutsch erstmals in der unzensierten Fassung

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literature

508 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1926

About the author

عبد الله قادري Абдулла Кадыри

was an Uzbek and Soviet playwright, poet, writer, and literary translator. Qodiriy was one of the most influential Uzbek writers of the 20th century. He introduced realism into Uzbek literature through his historical novels and influenced many other Central Asian novelists, including the Kazakh writer Mukhtar Auezov.

Reviews

[mondisla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abdullah Kadiri, Özbek romancılığının kurucusu ve en önemli ismi. 1938’de Sovyet rejimi tarafından milliyetçilikle suçlanarak kendisi gibi bir çok aydınla birlikte gizlice idam edilmiş. Ötgen Künler’de, Kıpçak/Özbek çatışmalarını, koltuk sevdası uğruna halkı birbirine kırdıran otoriteyi eleştirirken aynı zamanda bazı sosyal yaraları (çoklu evlilik, kuma meselesi, batıl inançlar vs) ve bir aşk hikayesini işlemiş. Yaşadığı döneme ve topluma rağmen modern ve ileri düşünce yapısı, özellikle kadının toplumdaki yeri ve örf/adetleri hedef alan eleştirileriyle kendini gösteriyor. Değerli bir eser...

[Avazbek · Rating 5 out of 5]

O'zbekiston Respublikasi Prezidenti maslahat bergan shu kitobni harbiy xizmatni o'tayaptgan paytim😁🇺🇿, vaqtdan unumli foydalanish uchun, kitob yarmarkasida harid qilgan edim. Ancha ilgari yakunlagan bo'lsamda, kitobga sharhni yozishga faqat hozirgina vaqt va kuch topa oldim. O'zbek tilimni rivojlantirish va shu noyob kitobga ma'noli sharh berish maqsadini ko'zlab qo'limga klaviatura oldim👨🏻‍💻
Kitobni sharhlashdan oldin, menga kitobning birinchi betidanoq oshkor bo'lgan haqiqatni yozib o'tishim shartdir. 🇺🇸Ingliz yoki 🇷🇺Rus tilida o'qishga o'rganib qolgan menga o'xshash inson uchun, Eski O'zbek tilining Kiril alifbosida yozilgan "O'tgan Kunlar" kitobini o'qish ancha mashaqqat tug'diradigan vazifa ekan.
Demak, qo'limda bosma kitob📖, har doimgi elektron kitob emas, armiyaning taxminan 18 kuni. Menda yangi odat - harbiy xizmatning zerikarli damlari, qo'limga shu kitobni olib o'qadigan bo'ldim. Lug'atlarni topish imkoniyati bo'lmagani sababli, anchagina so'zlarni chuqur ma'nosiga yeta olmayapman. Shunga qaramay, Abdulla Qodiriy qalami🖋, uning hikoyayu manzaralari meni o'ziga maftun qilib davom ettirishga inontirdi. Harbiy xizmatni yakunladim, Kumush va Otabekning hikoyasini 💙ham zavq bilan o'qib yakunladim.
Haqiqatni aytish lozimdir. Kitobning tanqid qiladigan joylari bor (bir qarashdagi sevgi, Otabek ikkinchi xotin olishga rozilik berishi, mantiqsiz qahramonlik va hokazo), ammo umuman olganda, undagi go'zal manzara ifodalanishlariyu🌅 hayajonli holatlar odamga zavq beradi, va hikoya o'zgarishlari odamni o'ylantiradi🧠. Qisqa qilganda, hammaga bir bor bo'lsada o'qishni aniq maslahat beraman. Sababi juda oddiy. Yuz yil muqaddam o'tmishga bir nazar tashlashga imkoniyat beradigan kitobdir bu.
O'tmishni yod etish bo'lsa, shu kunlardagi gul hayot va nurafshon istiqbolning qadriga yanada chuqurroq yetmoqga undaydi. Shunday.
Aybsiz qipchoqlar yaramaslar tomonidan qiritilganidan so'ng, tushkunlikga tushgan Otabek va uning otasining suhbatidan bir lavha bilan sharhimni yakunlayman. Qadrli vaqtingizni ketqazib shu yergacham o'qiganingiz uchun minnatdorman😊😁👍:
"-Йиртқичларнинг бу қирғиндан қандай муддаолари ҳосил бўларикин?
-Мақсадлари жуда очиқ,-деди ҳожи,-биттаси мингбоши бўлмоқчи, иккинчиси Нормуҳаммад ўрниға минмакчи, учинчиси яна бир шаҳарни ўзига қарам қилмоқчи. Хон эрса Мусулмонқулға бўлған адоватини қипчоқни қириб аламдан чиқмоқчи. Менга қолса ўртада шундан бошқа ҳеч гап йўқ, ўғлим.-деди ва бир оз тўхтаб давом этди: - Мен кўб умримни шу юртнинг тинчлиги ва фуқаронинг осойиши учун сарф қилиб, ўзига азобдан бошқа ғеч бир қаноат ҳосил қилаолмадим. Иттифоқни не эл эканини билмаган, ёлғизўз манфаати шахсияси йўлида бир-бирини еб, ичкан мансабпараст, дунёпараст ва шуҳратпараст муттаҳамлар Туркистон тупроғидан йўқолмай туриб, бизнинг одам бўлишимизға ақлим етмай қолди. Биз шу ҳолда кетадирган, бир-биримизнинг тегимизга сув қуядирған бўлсақ яқиндирки, ўрус истибдоди Туркистонимизни булғатар ва биз бўлсақ ўз қўлимиз билан келгуси наслимизнинг бўйниға ўрус бўйиндириғини кийдирган бўлармиз. Боболарнинг муқаддас гавдаси мадфун Туркистонимизни тўнғузхона қилишға ҳозирланған биз итлар яратғучининг қаҳрига албатта йўлиқармиз! Темур Кўрагон каби доҳийларнинг, Мирзо Бобур каби фотиҳларнинг , Форобий, Улуғбек ва Али Сино каби олимларнинг ўсиб-унган ва нашъу намо қилғанлари бир ўлкани ҳалокат чуқуриға қараб судрағучи албатта тангрининг қаҳриға сазовордир, ўғлим! Гуноҳсиз бечораларни бўғизлаб, болаларни ятим, хоналарини вайрон қилғучи золимлар-қуртлар ва қушлар, ердан ўсиб чиқған гиёҳлар қарғишиға нишонадир, ўғлим!.."

[Mehri Abdukodirova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitobni o'qish jarayonida Abdulla Qodiriyning o'sha zamon insonlari hayotini mahorat bilan yoritishini ko'rish mumkin.
Avtor asosiy urg'uni Kumush/Zaynab va Otabek qissasiga berish bilan kitobning asosiy maqsadi xalqnining ko'zini ochish, insonlarga 'food for thought' berishni chiroyli tarzda kichik personajlar hayoti va voqealar rivoji orqali xavfsiz yetqazib berishni ko'zlagan. Lekin afsuski bu xalqning ongi va qalbiga yetib borishidan avval o'sha davr bosqinchi hukumati ongiga tezroq yetib borgan va Abdulla Qodiriy taqdirini hal etgan.
Otabekning jur'atsizligi va vaziyatnining bu qadar yomonlashishiga olib kelmasligining iloji bor edi: muloqot, va ota-ona qalbiga kirib borish, va undan ham oldin ota-onadan iznsiz hayotining eng katta qarorlaridan biri - turmush qurishni hal etmaslik edi.
Va o'ylab ko'ring: bu jur'atsizlik ortida Abdulla Qodiriy nimalarni tushuntirmoqchi bo'ldi? Inson o'z taqdiri haqida jur'atsiz bo'lsa va ochiq muloqot qilmasa... Avtor xalq ana shu kabi Otabeklardan iboratligini ko'rsatmoqchi bo'ldimi? Yoki o'ylab ko'rish, fikr yuritish uchun majoziy qiyoslashni personajlar timsolida gavdalantirmoqchi bo'ldimi? Kitob asosiy mavzusi va urg'u faqat muhabbat talqinimidi? Bularning barchasiga kitobni avtor yashirin ifodalagan voqealar rivoji va dialog/monologlar orqali fikr qiling.

[Dolf van der Haven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Around the world in 80 books #8: Uzbekistan 🇺🇿

I have read quite a few books by Uzbek authors now and it seems that one thing is a recurring leitmotiv: plov (a.k.a. pilav). All people seem to eat in Uzbekistan is plov, so I decided to make some myself soon, just to celebrate the excellent literature coming from the country.
This book is excellent. Written in the 1930's, it is set in the mid-1800's and has relevance not only for the time in which it was written, but also for today.
At once a historical novel and a complex love story, it managed to immerse me in Uzbek culture, also thanks to over 400 end notes the translator added to explain the many very specific terms and give more context.
It is unfortunate nothing else from this author has been translated.

[Emil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nach 2 Jahren habe ich es nun endlich geschafft das erste Buch zu lesen, welches ich während meiner Reise durch Zentralasien auf meine Liste gesetzt hatte. Abdulla Qodiriy gilt als einer der größten usbekischen Autoren und ihm wird die Erfindung des modernen usbekischen Romans zugeschrieben.

Ich hatte nicht sonderlich hohe Erwartungen als ich an das Buch heranging und war deshalb sehr positiv überrascht als es mir so gut gefiel. Die Seitenzahlen verflogen und das Pacing ist hervorragend, obwohl es etwas altertümlich geschrieben ist.
Die Story ist sehr einfach und liest sich mehr wie ein Märchen voll von Miscommunication-tropes (was das einzige ist dass den Plot antreibt). Dennoch ermöglicht es einen Einblick in die Kultur Uzbekistans vor der Übernahme durch die Russen, sowohl die guten als auch die schlechten Aspekte.

(Ich empfehle während des Lesens Lieder von Dilnura Qodirjonova und Sevara Nazarkhan zu hören, steigert das Leseerlebnis)

[Lacivard Mammadova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Müasir ədəbiyyatda Marti Styu adlı termin istifadə edilir. Bu bütün əsər boyunca bəxti gətirən, hər problemdən həll yolu tapan, odda yanmayan, suda batmayan personaj tipidir. Bu gözəl əsərin qəhrəmanı antiMartidir. Adamın başına gəlməyən qalmır, kitabı oxuduqca elə hey yaxşı nəyinsə olacağını gözləyirdim. Sevgi, ailə təzyiqi, məsuliyyət, insan xisləti, paxıllıq - bütün bunların həyatımızı necə göylərə qaldırıb eləcə də yerə sala biləcəyini bir daha xatırlayırıq. Mən də ağladım, nə yalan deyim. Mövzu şərq təbiətli bizlər üçün rahat və anlaşılandır. Özbək ədəbiyyatı ilə də ilk tanışlığım belə baş tutdu :)

[Sharof Hamroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, it is always a big struggle for me to evaluate Uzbek literature's classic works due to my tendency roughly criticize some points a book. Being Uzbek myself, part of me hesitates to comdemn popular Uzbek literature. Anyway, I decided to try.

Bygone Days is Uzbek historical fiction novel illustrating life of the people of Kokand Khanate in the late XIX century. Some chapters of the novel was first published around 1923-1924. This book is the first work of a fiction that fits into Western literary genre - a novel. The main heroes are Otabek, son of Yusufbek - a merchant and influential person in the office of Tashkent governor and gorgeous Kumush, daughter of Mirzakarim, wealthy tradesman of Margilan. Okay, it seems like just-another-love-story, but the novel pretends to be a love drama. Beneath there is clue to nation's mulilateral tragedy: How the people of Turkistan deliberately abrupted from global society and unbeknownst to themselves froze Turkistan in The Middle Age epoch. Instead of developing science, say Algebra (composed by Al-Khwarizmi, man of Khwarazm, present Uzbekistan) our ancestors found peace in throwing ridiculous feasts, speculating some minor goods among the region and other trivialities... And monarchs? Oh, monarchs! They made it a task gain control over mosques and its imams (clergy) to legitimize their royal rights and justify oppression against independent scholars and schools of thought who could criticize their governorship and arise ordinary people against the state. This spread of authoritarianism unsuprisingly led to underdevelopment, split and vulnerability to powerful states. Damn Russian Empire took this opportunity to massacre our people and invade Turkistan. After that even darker era arose - plague of Bolsheviks - who turned out to be even more savage and reckless. Rivers of blood burst out in cities of Turkistan. May Allah have mercy on martyrs of Turkistan.

The author didn't mention centuries old history pieces, but he stressed on outcome of written by me above. By the way, the book is quite noteworthy for strong female character - Kumush. For a literature of XX century it's extremely rare. Her story with Otabek is full of symbolysms.

Uzbek writer Tohir Malik stated in his article about the book:
Uzbek's house was divided into two in ancient times. Inside and outside. The novel Bygone Days is similar. We partially got acquainted with the "outside" using the dialogues of parent and child. Now let's look "inside" The reason why Uzbekoyim wear black comes out from inside. Let's try to understand the symbols and signs.

First of all Kumush... Adbulla Qadiri wrote her with love. I still can't find a clear answer to the problem of whether Otabek or Abdulla Qadiri loved Kumush more. In any case, Abdullah Qadiri's love was greater. Otherwise, Otabek would not have been able to love Kumush with so much love. Did the writer see only beautiful angel in Kumush? I think that the writer saw the beautiful Motherland in the form of Kumush. I imagine that his love for Kumush was his love for the Motherland. When we first saw Kumush, she was sick. Peculiarly, the country was also sick at that time. Otabek's love encouraged and healed Kumush. If the sons of the country were like this to the Motherland, would the Motherland be free from illness?

Instead of uniting against common enemy (the Russians) aristocracy of Tashkent propagated that ALL FAULT lies on shoulders of Kipchaks - a major Turkic tribe - and sent a plead to monarch Khudayarkhan asking permission to mass slaughter entire nation. These scoundrels didn't even care to indicate what was their fault actually. Karachapans - another Turkic tribe, enemy to Kipchaks - were just envy that some of the state's key positions were taken by Kipchaks. The Khan supported this letter and let the genocide begin.

There is an English translation Bygone Days: O'tkan Kunlar made by beaufitul man, well-known translator Mark Edward Reese.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Few important realisations after reading this book.

1. Soviets did not ruin Central Asia, because you cannot ruin something that was already ruined for decades before Russian and Soviet colonisation/invasion.

2. People had quite an interesting lifestyle before internet, I mean you could be killed at any given time just because of your ethnic background or some Bek decided that he doesn’t like your face for some reason today.

3. Culturally nothing really changed in these two centuries, if you decide to marry some girl without approval of your mother (parents) they will still think it’s not your personal choice and some sort of black magic. Of course how would your precious son fall for girl like that?? Only black magic, better go find someone who makes better love spells…

4. Road to hell is paved with good intentions - good one sentence summary for many stories in this book!

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting from a historical perspective. probably not worth reading if you are not invested in the time and region. also crazy melodramatic

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Uzbek author telling a love story and the various obstacles the main characters have to deal with, giving a fantastic account of Uzbek culture in the 19th century. Those obstacles consist of deception and treachery from their enemies, heartbreak, societal obligations, and more treachery from their enemies.
This read was a whole journey, and I am reeling from the ending. There’s nothing quite like experiencing heart wrenching emotions caused by a good book with stunning writing!

I read the translation by Mark Reese, which had great endnotes with explanations of cultural references.

[Spoilers below]

• I love the writing style, that the characters are left in the dark but the reader always knows what’s happening. The realism and the scope of the writing appealed to me and the translation has a smooth flow.
• I was surprised by the “star crossed lovers” theme - positively surprised! I expected something more heavy handed, and occasionally it did have its bouts of that (like Otabek murdering Hamidboi), but the political and “action” laden events were balanced out by gentle scenes.
• Usta Alim’s story about his wife Saodat was my favourite chapter. I sobbed! And the foreshadowing… now that I’m looking back it was beautifully done!
• Otabek is a fascinating character, with his flaws, with his gentle nature, and his fits of temperament.
• At first, I wished Kumush and her female perspective was featured more! The third volume did make up for that though.
• The account of Kushroi Bibi’s character was my second favourite chapter - her controlling and self-righteous nature contrasted with meek Zainab rang alarm bells, but also served to deepen Zainab’s character.
• Though there are a lot of characters, it was easy for me to pick favourites as none of them fell flat. Faves: Usta Alim, Kumush Bibi, Kushroi Bibi, Hasan Ali (especially in Volume 1). And of course Otabek!
• The ending was fitting. It broke my heart, and I can’t believe I felt bad for Zainab throughout Volume 3 at first! But it is one of these stories where a tragedy is the only possible ending for the story to remain impactful.

Loved it, from the first page to the last.

[Harish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need some plov stat & other thoughts by Rachel

Amazing cultural context and endless ways to analyze this novel~ lots to chew on here aside from the dramatic story and immersive daily life descriptions. Will probably need to re-read sections to ponder the meaning of certain parts more closely. Highly recommend, enjoyed immensely. Thanks for making it available to English readers!

[Abror Abdullayev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abdulla Qodiriy ushbu asari bilan o'zbek romanchiligiga asos soldi desak hech ham xato bo'lmaydi. Ushbu asarda xonlarning hayotidan tortib, rus bosqinchilarigacha aytib o'tiladi. Va albatta, Otabek va Kumushning muhabbati asarga o'zgacha bir ifor baxsh etadi. Haqiqiy o'zbeklikni kuylovchi, o'zbek romanchiligining shoh asri bu - "O'tkan kunlar"!

[Maram Hanafy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hakkını yiyemem, sürükleyici bir eserdi. Ama okurken sürekli sinirleniyor, kendime sabır diliyorum. O zamanlarda yaşamadığımdan mı bilmiyorum, gözüme çok kolay gibi görünen çözümler kitapta asla olmuyor, bu da sinirimi bozmaya yetiyordu.
Mesela Gümüş ile Atabey ilk evlendiklerinde Özbek Hanım gelin istediğini söylediğinde Gümüş'ü Taşkent'e getirmesini beklerdim. Baktığımızda Atabey iki sene boyunca her ay Mergilan'a gidiyordu. Yani her iki anayı da razı edebilecek, bir süre Taşkent'te, bir süre de Mergilan'da kalabileceklerdi. Ama nedense böyle bir şey akıllarına gelmedi.
Sonlara doğru sonunda Taşkent'e geldiklerinde de Zeynep'i boşayabileceğini düşündüm. Kendisi de ona adil davranmadığının farkında, boşasa günaha girmem diye düşünür sandım. Ama yine öyle bir şey olmadı.
Belki romanın olması için, bütün klasik aşk romanları gibi kötü ve acı sonla bitmesi için bunların olması gerekiyordu ama belki bir farklılık yapıp mutlu sonla bitirebilir diye düşünmüştüm. Neyse artık. Yapacak bir şey yok.
Son olarak okuduğum diğer Türk dillerinde çeviri eserlerle ortak bir nokta da dikkatimi çekti. Nedense bu eserlerin çoğunda rahatsızlık verecek seviyede yazım yanlışları ve anlatım bozuklukları oluyor. Veya "birinden sormak" gibi belki o dilde kullanılmaya devam eden ama Türkiye Tükçesinde kullanımdan düşmüş ya da hiç olmamış ifadeler de geçiyor. Bu duruma biraz daha dikkat edilmesi çok daha güzel olur diye düşünüyorum. Şayet kitapların çevirisini yapanların zaten Türk dilini yeterli seviyede okumuş olmaları gerekiyor diye düşünüyorum. Değilse bile en azından iyi editörlerin elinden geçerek kalitesini en iyi şekilde korumalıdır diye düşünüyorum.

[Erkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

"O‘tkan kunlar " romani 22150Buyuk yozuvchi, shoir, dramaturg va publitsist Abdulla Qodiriy o‘tgan asrning haqiqatan ham fenomen shaxsidir. U o‘zbek adabiyoti tarixi va rivojida o‘chmas iz qoldirdi. Qodiriyning mahorati yil sayin xorijda tobora ko‘proq e’tirof etilayotgani ajablanarli emas! Masalan, 2019-yil dekabr oyida O‘zbekistonning Vashingtondagi elchixonasida AQShda birinchi bo‘lib ingliz tilida nashr etilgan Abdulla Qodiriyning "Bygone days" ("O‘tkan kunlar") kitobi taqdimoti bo‘lib o‘tdi. Romanni taniqli amerikalik tarjimon va tadqiqotchi Mark Riz tarjima qilgan."O‘tkan kunlar" - bu o‘zbek romanistikasidagi birinchi qaldirg‘ochdir. Qodiriy romanning kirish so‘zida shunday deb yozadi: “Modomiki, biz yangi davrga oyoq qo‘ydik, bas, biz har bir yo‘sunda ham shu ‎yangi davrning yangiliklari ketidan ergashamiz va shunga o‘xshash ‎dostonchiliq, ro‘monchiliq va hikoyachiliqlarda ham yangarishg‘a, xalqimizni ‎shu zamonning "Tohir-Zuhra"lari, "Chor darvesh"lari, «Farhod-Shirin»... lari bilan tanishdirishka o‘zimizda majburiyat his etamiz.‎ Yozmoqqa niyatlanganim ushbu — “O‘tkan kunlar”, yangi zamon ro‘monchilig‘i ‎bilan tanishish yo‘lida kichkina bir tajriba, yana to‘g‘risi bir havasdir”. Butun roman davomida yozuvchi to‘g‘ridan-to‘g‘ri o‘quvchiga murojaat qiladi, rang-barang obrazlarni yaratadi, qahramonlarning haqiqiy his-tuyg‘ularini yetkazadi.

[naisokram · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a feeling of nostalgia I had while reading this book, as if I am missing those "days gone by." To begin with, it felt like reading Raffi, an Armenian writer of the 19th century, and my feelings did not betray me as it turned out that just like Raffi, Qodiriy was one of the first writers to write a historical novel, blending cultural heritage with modern (for that time) literature techniques.

So much history, culture, tradition, human relationships in one novel! You not just get to know people's livelihoods in those times but also become their friend or enemy, get anxious about the bad things that happen to them and get happy about their happiness.

And right when you think you can criticize the book from your modern feminist pedestal, Qodiriy "slaps" you with his progressive thinking, very progressive considering the time he wrote it.

What I loved about this book is its ability to both criticize harmful traditions and the supposed "progressive" times that tend to erase a nation's culture and history. I could write a lot about this but what's the point? You better read the book and enjoy Qodiriy's storytelling style.

***spoiler alert***
I was devastated by the ending of the book but I also understand that such stories cannot have a happy ending. After all, the novel set to show the consequences of harmful traditions.

[Locke Lamora :):) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Türk edebiyatında bu kadar güzel bir eser okuduğum için o kadar şanslı hissediyorum ki kendimi. Kitap iki günde bitiverdi ve ağzım açık kaldı. Neler yazacağımı bilemiyorum. Yorumum biraz duygusal olacak ama kitap 1000 sayfa olsaydı yine bu denli okunurdu bence. Özbek edebiyatında okuduğum ilk kitap oluyor ÖTGEN KÜNLER. Birçok konuya değinmesiyle gönlünüzde taht kuruyor. Ana karakterlerimizi okurken bir yandan da Özbekistan'ın iç savaşını okuyoruz. Bir yandan Rus işgali kapıda bekliyor. Diğer yandan Atabey ve Gümüş'ün yaşadığı çalkantılı hayatı okuyoruz. Kuma olayı, aile baskısı, savaş ve aşk gibi ögeleri konu alıyor kitap. Tekrar okunulacak bir eser. Yazarın başına gelenleri okuyunca gözlerim doldu. Ruhu şad olsun. Yazdığı bu güzel roman 2025 yılında hala okunuyor. Kalemine, düşüncelerine sağlık Abdullah Kadiri. Türk edebiyatına bir Leyla ile Mecnun hikayesi daha kazandırdın, Atabey ve Gümüş ile. Çok etkilendiğim bir kitap oldu. Keşke daha fazla kitap yazsaydın da okuyabilseydik. ❤️

[Petr Kucera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trotz der z.T. naiven, antithetischen Darstellung der Charakter (böse-gut, märchenhaft schön und treu-krankhaft eifersüchtig und rachesüchtig) und der Darbietung einer eher an die klassische orientalische Dichtung erinnernden tragischen Liebesgeschichte bietet der erste usbekische Roman wundervolle Einblicke in die Zeit der letzten Khane im 19. Jahrhundert und überzeugt mit der Schilderung des localen Millieus.

[Ana-Maria Bujor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky to have found a copy in English while traveling through Uzbekistan. It is for sure a book of its time, with a moralizing message, but it is also a pretty gripping story and it helps a lot even today when it comes to understanding local customs and views. Not sure if it would have been as impactful had I read it back home, but a good book nonetheless.

[Ruben · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not afraid to admit this book has made an ocean of many a good shirt.

My heart beat with Otabeks'.
My eyes watered with Kumush.

Although I lack the knowledge necessary to speak about the translation itself, truly Qodiriy's prose left me utterly intoxicated.

[Khayrullo Isomiddinov · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I have read an Uzbek novel despite being an Uzbek. All I can say is that I am confident that no matter how many books I am to read in the days to come, I will remember "O'tkan Kunlar" as one of the most touching and brilliant books of my life.

[Aaron Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh legendary tale of Zaynab-Otabek-Kumush. You will feel everything from this book. You definitely cry. Also this is not only romance, this book includes politics and history telling in 1200 Turan, Uzbekistan. I loved it. YOU CAN SKIP POLITICS SECTIONS LIKE I DID

[Jakhongir · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that describes and shows lives of people in Uzbek society. Even though it was written almost a century ago.

[Madina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hali o'qimadim

[Sohiba · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just loved plot twists in this book.

[Alisher Khudoyberdiev · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have finished reading. The author wrote the work very well. Abdulla Qadiri is the founder of Uzbek novels.

[Hannah]

There is an English translation of this by Reese.

[Komila Zakirova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a touching romance, so many obstacles toovercome. I hate how Kumush dies, but the novel is amazing. The environment setting and complex charecters took my heart.

[Shakhzoda Abjabborova · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book to understand the state of the nation at that time and to learn about its immortal traditions.

[Said Mahmood kasany · Rating 5 out of 5]

قرأت النسخة العربية منها، وهي رواية جميلة تحكي قصة حب جميلة في بلاد تركستان ، النهاية محزنة ومبكية

[Abdurashid Ulmasov · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is and will be my one of fav book ever