LITERARY STUDIES OF RAKHMANKUL BERDIBAY AND A LEGEND OF KOZKAMAN

The article deals with the literary research works and research articles of
Rakhmankul Berdibay, a well-known literary researcher in the Turkic world and a scholar of
turkology, that attracted public attention and contributed to the enlightenment of national
consciousness.
The researcher’s scientific works are distinguished by their scientific depth, novelty, and
ability to timely address pressing issues of society. His works which were upraised tothe national
and universal idealshave been appreciated. In this article the author focuses not only on
Rakhmankul Berdibay’s works, which are important for the study of the Kazakh literature, but also
analyzes his articles that reflect his civil position. The author also thoroughly analyzes his article
“En ulken madeni bailyk” (The Greatest Cultural Wealth). The article considered the plight of the
Kazakh language in society under Khruschev’s “Thaw” in 1956. It led to the author’s persecution,
expulsion from his job at“Kazak Adebiyeti” (Kazakh Literature) newspaper, and expulsion from
the party. It also draws attention to the principles of the scientist, which were displayed in his
struggle against spiritual diseases in the society. In the first years of independence, Berdibay wrote
scientific articles for the purpose of reviving the national consciousness and enlightening the spirit
of the people. The main object of this study is the article “Kozkaman turaly anyz” (The Legend of
Kozkaman) by a scientist who attracted the attention of the nation. The ideological purpose of the
article is to explore the introduction of the concept “kozkaman” as a separate category in the
scientific community.
Keywords: literary research, kozkaman, Kazakh literature, folklore, culture.