The History of the Creation and Promotion of the First Consolidated Text of the Bashkir Folk Epic “Idukai and Muradim”

Research objectives: The purpose of the study is to restore the chronicle in the work of the Tatar scholar-encyclopedist, Naki Isanbet (1899–1992), pertaining to the creation and promotion of the consolidated text of the Bashkir folk epic, “Idukai and Muradim”. The research material was based on personal sources: memoirs, correspondence of a folklorist, a summary text of the 1933 edition with author's notes for translators. In the second half of 1920s to the first half of 1930s, Naki Isanbet participated in the first academic project in Russian history to collect, study, and create critical texts of epics of the peoples of the USSR, headed by scientists of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The Tatar scientist is rightfully considered a pioneer in this field. Naki Isanbet's textual works on the epic, “Idegey”, have been recognized not only within the USSR, but also abroad. Research materials: The comprehensive text of the “Idukai and Muradim” epic by Naki Isanbet (1933); sources of a personal nature: memoirs, correspondence with a folklorist, etc. The research was conducted using cultural-historical, comparative, and descriptive methods. Novelty of the research: The novelty of our research is found in its comprehensive study of the creative history of the textual work on the “Idukai and Muradim” Bashkir epic, providing the first summary text and the history of this epic’s development. Results of the research: The scientific and historical value of this source has been determined within the framework of the study. The objective and subjective reasons for the dramatic fate of the consolidated text of the Bashkir version of the epic about Idegey are revealed. The structure of the handwritten text in Latin is described. Its plot and compositional features, character system, and artistic features are briefly described. It is demonstrated that Naki Isanbet was the first compiler of the consolidated text of the Bashkir folk epic, “Idukai and Muradim”. A comparative analysis of the editions of the consolidated text of 1928 and 1933 indicates that there was a “general constructive premeditation” aimed at actively influencing the reader, following the established genre and stylistic canon, as was noted by the textual critic. The history of Naki Isanbet’s cooperation with the Academia publishing house eliminates not only one of the “blind spots” in the history of the existence of this consolidated text, but also indirectly characterizes the circle of collaborative contacts of the Tatar scientist with Russian folklorists in 1930.