Karachay-Balkar authors of the near abroad

This article addresses a topic unexplored in national literary studies: the literary process within the Karachay-Balkar diaspora in countries formed after the collapse of the USSR, specifically Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The aim of this scholarly work is to assess the state of the literary process within the diaspora, to identify authors living far from their historical homeland but creating their works in Karachay-Balkar, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, and also in Russian, and who are oriented towards their native culture, regardless of the language in which they write. The themes of their works, which change from generation to generation, also present scholarly interest. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that it analyzes, for the first time, Karachay-Balkar literature abroad in the post-Soviet space, in the republics of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, based on published books and manuscript heritage. Previously unknown factual materials are introduced into scholarly discourse for the first time. The factual material of the resettlement and post-deportation periods is examined through its correlation with historical events and the personal fates of the authors. Authors whose works have reached the Karachay-Balkar reader, having been published both in countries of the near abroad and at home, are highlighted. Particular attention is paid to the authors Akatu Shavaev, Mashtay Kudaev, Zhaukhar Bittirova, Mukharbek Zabakov, and the essayistic works of Osman Korkmazov. The bilingualism, and sometimes trilingualism, of Karachay-Balkar émigré authors, and their involvement in the literary process of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, are noted. The most important results of the scholarly research were both the discovery and systematization of empirical material, and the identification of the richness and specificity of the creative work of the authors studied. The chosen perspective of the work has demonstrated its importance for understanding the processes of the dynamics of verbal culture in a foreign-language environment, as well as the need for further study of Karachay-Balkar literature abroad and its contribution to national literature, primarily in poetry and essay writing.