Tatar literature
{{Short description|Literary works written in Tatar language}}
{{Islamic culture}}
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Tatar literature ({{langx|tt-Cyrl|татар әдәбияты}}) consists of literature in the Tatar language, a Turkic language spoken in the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. Tatar literature is a part of Tatar society and has been part of Tatar history since the existence of a Tatar state.{{Cn|date=April 2025}} Famous Tatar poets include Kasim Bikkulov, Ğabdulla Tuqay, and Näqi İsänbät.
History
Tatar literature started nearly one thousand years ago. The most famous piece of early Tatar literature is The Story of Yusuf by Qol Ghali.{{cite web |title=Culture |url=https://tatarstan.ru/eng/about/culture.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141001060302/https://tatarstan.ru/eng/about/culture.htm |archive-date=2014-10-01 |website=Official Tatarstan}}{{Cite book |last1=Bukharaev |first1=Ravilʹ |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8z5UN5ZM5eIC |title=Historical Anthology of Kazan Tatar Verse: Voices of Eternity |last2=Matthews |first2=David John |date=2000 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-7007-1077-5 |pages=5–6 |language=en}} Grammar of the Tatar literary language was different from standard Tatar as it had more Persian, Arabic, and Old Turkic words and during the Russian invasion of Tatarstan and occupation, Tatar poets still used the Arabic script even though it was banned by the Russian authorities.{{Cite book |last=Voinov |first=Vitaly |date=January 1, 2018 |title=Tatar Grammar: A Grammar of the Contemporary Tatar Literary Language by Gustav Burbiel |url=https://www.academia.edu/40820189 |isbn=978-5-93943-259-7 |publisher=Institute for Bible Translation |location=Stockholm |via=Academia.edu}} Tatars also used literature for their religion, Islam.{{cn|date=April 2025}} In the 18th century, Kazakh poet, Abay Kunanbayev wrote many poems in Tatar.{{Cite journal |last=Mashakova |first=Ainur |last2=Khabutdinova |first2=Milyausha |date=2017 |title=The creative writings of Abay Kunanbayev in the Tatar literary reception |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/197459784.pdf |journal=Revista Espacios |publisher=Kazan Federal University |volume=38 |issue=50 |via=CORE}} Tatar literature started to become popular during the 20th century and throughout the Soviet era especially during the Space Race.{{Cite journal |last1=Sayfulina |first1=F. S. |last2=Gafiyatova |first2=E. V. |last3=Husnutdinov |first3=D. H. |last4=Sagdieva |first4=R. K. |last5=Iskakova |first5=Z. M. |date=July 22, 2020 |title=Ecology Problem Updating in Tatar Literature of the 2nd-Half of the 20th-Century |url=https://www.redalyc.org/journal/279/27964115043/html/ |journal=Utopía y Praxis Latinoamericana |volume=25 |issue=Esp.6 |pages=454–465 |via=Redalyc}} The city of Kazan was most famous for its literature because of Musa Dzhalil, a poet who wrote works in both Tatar and Russian.{{Cite web |title=Kazan city people (Tatars) language, literature, poets |url=http://aboutkazan.com/kazan-language-literature-poets.shtml |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=aboutkazan.com}}
=Modern Day=
The government of Tatarstan established an organization for Tatar literature called the Department of Tatar Literature.{{Cite web |title=The Department of Tatar Literature |url=https://kpfu.ru/eng/academic-units/humanities/philology-culture/structure/gabdulla-tukai-higher-school/the-department-of-tatar-literature |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Kazan Federal University}}