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[CHECHEN LITERATURE] Berin Türiniş [i.e. Tales for Children]

Salmurzaev, Magomed

Item #953

Grozny: Noxçin izdatel’stvo “Serlo” [Serlo Typ.,], 1928. 20 pp. 23x14 cm. Original printed wrappers with typographic decorative design. Fine.
Extremely rare. One of 1000 copies printed. First children’s book written in Chechen language.
Magomed Salmurzaev (1900-1958) considered to be the “father” of Chechen literature and the 1st translator of Russian literature into Chechen language.
He was born in a small village in a poor peasant family, attended religious school till he was expelled. But his education was enough to become an elementary teacher in his aul (small Chechen village), and later Salmurzajev starts state service as an education inspector in Grozny. In the 1920s Salmurzaev also was responsible for translation of “Serlo” typography editions into Russian, concurrently writing his own stories. In 1923 he published his first story “Khatime Hamid” using Arabic typewriting afterwards reprinted in the new Chechen Latin alphabet which was created by Salmurzajev’s linguistic team. This story’s considered to be the very beginning of Chechen literature, and later Salmurzajev proved himself to be the one who brought Chechen people’s culture into written form and presented it to the world. He wrote only children’s stories, such as “Chechen satiric stories”, “Short stories for children”, etc.
This book, Berin Türiniş, was published in 1928 and appears to be one of the few evidences of Chechen Latin script used until 1938 when the Soviet Union promoted Cyrillic for Chechen language. The book consists of Chechen folklore stories and fairy-tales, adapted and reimagined by Salmurzajev. He was led by his strong commitment that Chechen literature needs to be developed into a discipline and presented to children from early childhood.
His student and follower, famous Chechen M. Mamakaev (1910 – 1973), referred to him as “an inspiring writer and activist who loved his country and people with whom he was so untimely separated.”
Magomed Salmurzaev was repressed in 1937 and accused of “anti-Soviet propaganda”, but later acquitted and in 1944 sent to Kazakhstan with lots of other Chechen culture and education activists. Died in Kazakhstan in exile.
No copies found on Worldcat.

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