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drskaninchen's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
hiimval's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
leticia26's review
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
evelynsnow10's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
murinius's review
3.0
(CW: bride kidnapping, brief mention of rape and violence against women)
Searching for documentaries on YouTube, I was dismayed to learn that bride kidnapping is still a common occurrence in Kyrgyzstan. Though abductions are illegal they continue to be practised, with kidnappers being rarely prosecuted. Authorities are sometimes complicit, turning a blind eye or pressuring the families of victims to accept the marriage. Defenders of the custom refer to it as a tradition, an elopement between consenting adults, but though percentage points vary, studies have demonstrated that a significant number of these unions are non-consensual. Women that have been raped during or after the kidnapping often give in to the marriage because of social pressures, as women who have had sexual relations are not considered to be marriageable. There have been many cases of women and girls being injured or killed in the process, or committing suicide in the aftermath of the marriage.
A Kyrgyz stamp featuring Dzhamilia.
The subject of bride kidnapping plays a central role in the 1958 novel Dzhamilia (Russian: Джамиля). Originally published in Russian, it is Soviet-Kyrgyz author Chingiz Aitmatov’s first important work. The narrator, Seit, is the youngest of the brothers in a family. Though he makes an attempt to present as a grown man, it is understood that he is only a boy, and that this is the reason that he has been spared from the fighting. Framed as a love story, Seit tells of the relationship that develops between Daniyar, a wounded soldier, and Dzhamilia, Seit’s sister-in-law. The casual revelation is made — that Seit’s brother, Sadyk, had kidnapped Dzhamilia to make her his wife.
Aitmatov’s appreciation for his homeland is obvious, with beautiful and loving descriptions of the Kyrgyz mountain and steppe, as well as local characters and scenes of daily living. Even in translation, the prose is subtle and observant, showing more than it explains. The story has an almost ethnographic quality, describing the changing ways of life in the wake of Kyrgyzstan’s inclusion to the Soviet state. The nomadic pastoral life, mandated by tribal and family relationships, is replaced by that of the collective farm or kolkhoz. The change between the old and the new world is, however, an incomplete one. Contradictions exist between traditional beliefs and the developing social landscape. One example is the worship given to young men, who are considered to be protectors of their families. This obscures the reality of women, children, and the elderly conducting most of the work, independent of the men who are away fighting.
Stills from the 1969 film by Irina Poplavskaya. It is available to watch on YouTube.
The love story is a typical one. With the help of Seit, Dzhamilia teases and plays pranks on the former soldier, meeting his melancholy with good-natured cheer. Meanwhile, Daniyar broods, sings beautiful songs, and goes as far as to endanger his life to impress Dzhamilia. The reader observes the lovers through the child’s eyes. Though a brother to Dzhamilia’s husband, he feels a kinship to Daniyar. The man appears different from the others. He is marked by grief, an orphan and a veteran of war, but harbours a deep love for his homeland and for Dzhamilia. It is with him that Seit identifies, but Dzhamilia has no lesser cause for grief.
Perhaps her laughter and her straightforward manner are a way to cope. Maybe it is that, having always been strong, and having lived a short time with her kidnapper, her personality has not been broken. Her internal feelings are not explained. We have only her words, and facial expressions that are left for the reader’s interpretation. Seit never outright states — at his age, he cannot know — what exactly happened between her and her kidnapper, and she never speaks of it. Her attitudes, and her actions throughout the book, however, carry a heavy implication. Though written by a man, the novel succeeds in calling attention to this and other issues that impact the lives of women.
Another thing that this book brought to my attention was the participation of non-white, non-Slavic peoples during the Second World War. The peoples of the Soviet Union comprised more than a hundred ethnicities or nations, not only the Slavs that are represented in most major media productions. In Western perceptions, the Soviet Union is often equated with Russia, and Russia with Slavic ethnicities, but this is a very incomplete and incorrect image. My concept of the Soviet Union and the countries that both preceded it and followed its dissolution was challenged by books like these, which portray people of different cultural backgrounds.
Kyrgyz Soviet troops in 1945. “Comrades, fellow soldiers.” Source: Central Government Photo Archives of Kyrgyzstan.
Searching for documentaries on YouTube, I was dismayed to learn that bride kidnapping is still a common occurrence in Kyrgyzstan. Though abductions are illegal they continue to be practised, with kidnappers being rarely prosecuted. Authorities are sometimes complicit, turning a blind eye or pressuring the families of victims to accept the marriage. Defenders of the custom refer to it as a tradition, an elopement between consenting adults, but though percentage points vary, studies have demonstrated that a significant number of these unions are non-consensual. Women that have been raped during or after the kidnapping often give in to the marriage because of social pressures, as women who have had sexual relations are not considered to be marriageable. There have been many cases of women and girls being injured or killed in the process, or committing suicide in the aftermath of the marriage.
A Kyrgyz stamp featuring Dzhamilia.
The subject of bride kidnapping plays a central role in the 1958 novel Dzhamilia (Russian: Джамиля). Originally published in Russian, it is Soviet-Kyrgyz author Chingiz Aitmatov’s first important work. The narrator, Seit, is the youngest of the brothers in a family. Though he makes an attempt to present as a grown man, it is understood that he is only a boy, and that this is the reason that he has been spared from the fighting. Framed as a love story, Seit tells of the relationship that develops between Daniyar, a wounded soldier, and Dzhamilia, Seit’s sister-in-law. The casual revelation is made — that Seit’s brother, Sadyk, had kidnapped Dzhamilia to make her his wife.
Aitmatov’s appreciation for his homeland is obvious, with beautiful and loving descriptions of the Kyrgyz mountain and steppe, as well as local characters and scenes of daily living. Even in translation, the prose is subtle and observant, showing more than it explains. The story has an almost ethnographic quality, describing the changing ways of life in the wake of Kyrgyzstan’s inclusion to the Soviet state. The nomadic pastoral life, mandated by tribal and family relationships, is replaced by that of the collective farm or kolkhoz. The change between the old and the new world is, however, an incomplete one. Contradictions exist between traditional beliefs and the developing social landscape. One example is the worship given to young men, who are considered to be protectors of their families. This obscures the reality of women, children, and the elderly conducting most of the work, independent of the men who are away fighting.
Stills from the 1969 film by Irina Poplavskaya. It is available to watch on YouTube.
The love story is a typical one. With the help of Seit, Dzhamilia teases and plays pranks on the former soldier, meeting his melancholy with good-natured cheer. Meanwhile, Daniyar broods, sings beautiful songs, and goes as far as to endanger his life to impress Dzhamilia. The reader observes the lovers through the child’s eyes. Though a brother to Dzhamilia’s husband, he feels a kinship to Daniyar. The man appears different from the others. He is marked by grief, an orphan and a veteran of war, but harbours a deep love for his homeland and for Dzhamilia. It is with him that Seit identifies, but Dzhamilia has no lesser cause for grief.
Perhaps her laughter and her straightforward manner are a way to cope. Maybe it is that, having always been strong, and having lived a short time with her kidnapper, her personality has not been broken. Her internal feelings are not explained. We have only her words, and facial expressions that are left for the reader’s interpretation. Seit never outright states — at his age, he cannot know — what exactly happened between her and her kidnapper, and she never speaks of it. Her attitudes, and her actions throughout the book, however, carry a heavy implication. Though written by a man, the novel succeeds in calling attention to this and other issues that impact the lives of women.
Another thing that this book brought to my attention was the participation of non-white, non-Slavic peoples during the Second World War. The peoples of the Soviet Union comprised more than a hundred ethnicities or nations, not only the Slavs that are represented in most major media productions. In Western perceptions, the Soviet Union is often equated with Russia, and Russia with Slavic ethnicities, but this is a very incomplete and incorrect image. My concept of the Soviet Union and the countries that both preceded it and followed its dissolution was challenged by books like these, which portray people of different cultural backgrounds.
Kyrgyz Soviet troops in 1945. “Comrades, fellow soldiers.” Source: Central Government Photo Archives of Kyrgyzstan.
dunder_mifflin's review
4.0
I loved this book, I started reading it and literally couldn't put it down.
aclameiras's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
paquitamackay9688's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
triumph3's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Jamilia is the most desired girl in the village and she finds true love in the most outcast man. Our young narrator is in love with her as well, and her husband's brother. Despite all this, he recognizes their true love and perfect match and is the only one to stand up for them.