On December 9, the book The Flood by prominent Kyrgyz author and TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev was presented at the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation in Baku.
At the event, Aktoty Raimkulova, President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation, provided detailed information about the activities of the organization. She highlighted the Foundation's efforts to preserve pan-Turkic heritage, both tangible and intangible. "This is the presentation of the 17th book published by the Foundation," she said. "The book was translated by Rabiga Nazimgizi. One of our key priorities is to pass on the rich legacy of prominent Turkic figures to future generations." In this context, the Foundation has launched three series of books: "Outstanding Personalities of the Turkic World," "Literary Pearls of the Turkic World," and "Scientific Pearls of the Turkic World." In addition, A. Raimkulova mentioned that on December 13, the 950th anniversary of Mahmud Kashgari's "Divan-i-Lughat-it-Türk" will be celebrated in Paris at a UNESCO event with the participation of scholars, researchers, and officials from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Hungary, and other countries.
In his speech, Adil Karimli, Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, emphasized the great respect of the Azerbaijani people for Chingiz Aitmatov, a leading figure of the Turkic world. "This year we are meeting in Baku for the second time to present the book of the prominent Kyrgyz writer and TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev. The Ministry of Culture and the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation work together on many initiatives, and this is just one of them. I am confident that more such projects will follow," said the minister.
At the event, President of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Isa Habibbeyli, Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan to Azerbaijan Maksat Mamitkanov, popular writer Chingiz Abdullayev, and Academician Nizami Jafarov, Director of the Azerbaijan Atatürk Center, shared their thoughts on Sultan Raev's book "Flood.".
It was emphasized that Azerbaijani readers have always shown great interest in the works of writers of the Turkic world. A large meeting dedicated to Chingiz Aitmatov, a prominent figure who enriched Turkic literature with new ideas, will soon be held in Baku. In his book The Flood, Sultan Raev explores the concept of "what if the Noachian Flood had happened in modern times" and illustrates that today's flood is not of water, but of the Internet. The book also addresses issues related to artificial intelligence.
MP Javanshir Feyziyev noted that modern Kyrgyz literature, rooted in a thousand-year-old rich heritage like Manas, produced a literary genius like Chingiz Aitmatov in the 20th century. "One could assume that Kyrgyz literature had already said everything it needed to say, especially after Ch. Aitmatov. It would have required immense courage to contribute something new to modern Kyrgyz literature, so it was hard to expect another miracle. But a miracle happened. Sultan Rayev found this courage and successfully introduced his own literary style into the competitive arena of Turkic world literature. Sultan Raev did not write Manas, nor did he copy Aitmatov's style. Through his novels, Sultan Raev made his contribution to the most contemporary literary trend, which the respected academician Isa Habibbayli described as 'magical realism. His contribution is magnificent and has given the Turkic world the opportunity to be proud of him," said Javanshir Feyziyev.
In his speech, Sultan Raev, the author of The Flood, thanked everyone who supported and contributed to the creation of the book. Then an excerpt from The Flood was read by Husniyya Murvatova, an honored artist and actress of the Baku Municipal Theater.
The event was attended by Azerbaijani state and government officials, deputies, representatives of the Kyrgyz Embassy, members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the country, as well as scientists, cultural, and public figures.
