The most read Turkmen literary work in 2020 was the novel by Hydyr Deryaev “Fate” (“Ykbal”). According to the staff of the State Library, this book was the most requested compared to other books by Turkmen authors.
The novel consists of four books, which tell about the difficult fate of a main character Uzuk.Beeying a beautiful, she attracts many men who want to marry her, but Uzuk has long been in love with another, and is going to marry him.
Bekmyrat, a wealthy landowner who wants Uzuk to be a daughter-in-law and a wife of his younger brother, will destroy their happiness.Having not received a positive answer from the girl’s family, he decides to nap her.
Among books by foreign authors, Mark Twain’s works are popular, in particular the novel “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, as well as the tragedy “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles.
In the tragedy it, the author examines one of the most important issues of his time what is the will of the gods and what is the free will of a man.
Sophocles’ story is about the fate of Oedipus, king of Thebes, and son of Laius and Jocasta.When Laius’ son is born, he consults an oracle as to his fortune.
To his horror, the oracle reveals that Laius “is doomed to perish by the hand of his own son.” Laius binds the infant’s feet together with a pin and orders Jocasta to kill him.
Unable to do so to her own son, Jocasta orders a servant to slay the infant instead.The servant exposes the infant on a mountaintop, where he is found and rescued by a shepherd.
The shepherd names the child Oedipus, “swollen foo”, as his feet had been tightly bound by Laius.The shepherd brings the infant to Corinth, and presents him to the childless king Polybus, who raises Oedipus as his own son.
The poems of Gozel Shagulyeva were in demand also; many people also read poetry collections of Kerim Gurbannepesov.
Literary works of the President of Turkmenistan are also frequently requested books in the library. The most popular work among them is “The Source of Wisdom” (“Paýhas çeşmesi”). A 12-volume encyclopedia “Medicinal Plants of Turkmenistan” by Berdimuhamedov is at the second place.
As the majority of visitors to the State Library are school graduates, textbooks on various subjects are the most requested to prepare for entrance exams to higher educational institutions.
Employees of the State Children’s Library named after Bazar Amanov said that in addition to books from the school curriculum, schoolchildren ask the works by Ata Govshudov, Berdynazar Hudaynazarov, Mahtumkuli Myshchyev for independent reading. The historical books by Ovez Gundogdyev do not lie too long on the shelves as well.