Why Kyrgyz authors do not write best-sellers?
By Aizada Kutueva – 24.kg, edited by Galina Toktalieva
Publishing and authoring are in pit
Books are not so popular nowadays as they were before. People, especially young prefer TV and Internet, which to their opinion are easier to comprehend than taking trouble to read books. Such tendency surely affects writers. I am quite sure that the main part of the Kyrgyz population can hardly remember any best-seller, except for Chingiz Aitmatov’s works. I decided to find out why nobody writes best-sellers in Kyrgyzstan and addressed this question to different people in Bishkek.
Elena Voronina, director of organization on children rights protection: – There is no real literature in Kyrgyzstan nowadays, as we have lost true artists, such as Chingiz Aitmatov and Tugelbai Sydykbekov who essentially contributed to the culture of Kyrgyz people before.The world has changed and former values lost their relevance.
Olga Medvedeva, a programmer:
Maybe good books are written in our country but people practically give up reading and know nothing about new authors. Everything that draws their interest they can find on Internet. I think majority of young people will agree. It is cheaper to read a book on-line than to buy it. In general I never hear about best-seller authors or about celebrated books’ presentations in Kyrgyzstan.
Gulnara Derbisheva, Member of Kyrgyz Parliament:
Unfortunately, publication of books became a large problem in Kyrgyzstan. None of the local publishing houses justify their expenses and establishment due to the sharp decrease of reading culture and buyer capabilities of population.Remember the well-known movie of Soviet times about Shurik where all characters are reading books. It is a pity that Kyrgyzstan does not have a culture and urge for reading anymore. All are preoccupied with material things and struggle for mere survival. From time to time, when we still experience umpulse to read, we have to read foreign best-sellers, which have nothing to do with our own traditions and mentality.Probably there are good authors in our republic but I do not know them. I have heard that Felix Kulov presented his autobiographic book. But I would not buy it because I can hardly find something interesting there.
I like book of Irina Hakamada “Sex in big-time politics” about difficulties which women of politics face. The author deliberately did not finish the book in order everybody can make a conclusion of their own. I would make additions to it taking into account Kyrgyz women mentality.
Omor Sultanov, chairman of the Kyrgyz Writers’ Association:
In order to ask the first question you should read all works of the Kyrgyz writers. Have you done it? National authors write a lot of good stuff but often they can not publish them due to lack of finances or possibility to advertise their work.Decrease of people’s interest to reading has its sad effects.
Boris Kubaev, Deputy Chief of the Kyrgyz Education and Science Ministry:
Nobody writes best-sellers in our country because people replaced culture and spiritual values with money. But we should not forget that material values priorities must not damage morality. Perhaps, best-sellers will still appear in Kyrgyzstan in future, because there is a lot of latent talents here.
Natasha, a bookshop assistant:
Probably somebody writes best-sellers in Kyrgyzstan but I did not hear about anybody else but Chingiz Aitmatov. Customers mainly ask for his books. By the way, the recently released autobiography of Felix Kulov is gaining popularity, as many people ask about it.
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