The Memorial Feast for Kökötöy Khan: A Kirghiz Epic Poem in the Manas Tradition

by Sagimbay Orozbaq uulu, Daniel Prior (Translator)

This great Central Asian epic, passed down through generations and now brought to life in a new translation, carries the reader into a world of nomads, warriors and horselords

'I am a steel-fanged lion, a dragon ready to pounce, a mighty poplar with golden branches rising up to the sky'

The bard Saghïmbay Orozbaq uulu composed his oral telling of the great Central Asian Manas epic in the early twentieth century, although it draws on far older sources. This vivid episode from his narrative tells the bravura story of an uncertain new khan, Boqmurun, who holds a great feast to commemorate his predecessor, Kökötöy. From east and west, warriors and their turbulent retinues come to compete in horse races, jousting and wrestling, and soon insults are hurled and scores settled violently. Yet none can beat the supreme hero, the mighty, truculent Manas. By turns earthy, stirring, bombastic and funny, Saghïmbay's work stands as a monument to the oral culture of a nomadic people.

Daniel Prior's landmark translation includes a 'How to Read the Epic' section, commentary, maps and illustrations.

Composed in oral performance by Saghïmbay Orozbaq uulu
Translated by Daniel Prior

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Epic, Asia, History, Folklore

400 pages, Paperback

First published December 19, 2000

About the author

Sagimbai Orozbakov (1868–1930) was a Kyrgyz manaschi, or reciter of the Epic of Manas.

Reviews

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Kirghiz tale could be a valuable addition to the canon of epic poetry taught in American schools. Whether using a formalist, genre, reader-response, historical, multicultural, or transcultural approach, educators would do well to include the story of Manas alongside those of Gilgamesh, Odysseus, Aeneas, and Beowulf. In a world that becomes smaller by the day, knowing each others’ stories can teach us how to coexist and thrive together.

Thank you to the legacy of Saghïmbay Orozbaq uulu, Penguin Classics, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Mab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both an absolutely fascinating window into an epic storytelling tradition and one of the most careful and well-structured translations I've read: Prior has put deep thought into how he wants the reader to experience this text, and it's appreciated.

I won't develop a full thought here, because it's too much effort, but some scattered half-thoughts about the text:
1. The story it brought to mind the most was Culhwch ac Olwen - something about the tumultuous and episodic nature of it;
2. I was not expecting public sex to be one of the games;
3. The descriptions of horses are amazing;
4. There is something interesting about the age of the heroes - lots of extremely vigorous middle-aged and older men - which felt unusual;
5. I know that trying to discern ancient origins in an early twentieth-century performance is a mug's game but I waaaaaant to;
6. The commonalities in the stories we tell each other are so interesting.

[Michael Joseph · Rating 2 out of 5]

The annotations should have been footnotes rather than notes all the way in the back of the book. I understand there was a lot to explain, but it the annotations should have been written more concisely rather than making the reader search all the way to the back of the book.

Now, about the plot.

It’s nonsensical, ridden with narrative inconsistencies, crude, but also hilarious. It offers insight into the values, history, and humor of a semi-nomadic steppe people. I’d recommend it for readers who want to learn more about a region of the world that is often overlooked. I was kind of over it two thirds of the way through.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

A portion of the Kyrgyz "Epic of Manas" translated into English. It tells the story of Kokotoy-Khan's death and memorial feast, led by his son that he disregarded (and named "the Snotnose"). At the feast, all tribes in the region are invited, even the infidels. They engage in wrestling and horse-racing, both at which the infidels are roundly defeated. At times poetic and at times vulgar, there are a number of parts that are surprisingly funny.

[Logan Denney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you oomf for translating this. Very good book with a hot antagonist, and a boy with daddy issues. What more could you ask for.