[EN]Index on Censorship, by Aimée Hamilton - Turkmen author Ak Welsapar was forced to leave his native country after being declared an enemy of the people and having his books burnt. Aimée Hamilton introduces one of his short stories, Love History, a dark and shocking folk tale published for the first time by Index. Read more / PDF
[EN]Interview with Ak Welsapar, by Ann Morgan - What was life inside Turkmenistan like? What are the major differences that would surprise someone from a country like Sweden or the UK? How much did you hear about the rest of the world?
What was literature inside Turkmenistan like when you lived there?
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[EN]Hurriyet Daily News, by William Armstrong - On the surface, “The Tale of Aypi” seems to be a traditional novel dealing with well-worn themes: A small coastal village community faces displacement from its ancestral home as the state eyes land for development. One brave fisherman decides to confront the authorities and fight for his native shore, with tragic consequences. Read more / PDF
[EN]Svenska Dagbladet, by Johanna Lindbladh- "A man must not die prematurely" - how to interpret this statement? For me, and certainly more with me, this appears as a moral stance - no one should have to experience an premature death. But when Ak Welsapar in his novel "Kobra" puts the words of Mr Comrade's president's mouth, the meaning becomes quite different. Read more / PDF
[SW]Tidningen Kulturen, by Anna Remmets - Kobra är berättelsen om en tyrann som strävar efter att kontrollera såväl årstidernas växlingar som varje enskild människas liv, död och tankar. I denna roman, som på en gång är en dystopi och en satir, på gränsen mellan saga och realism, låter författaren ökenkobran ikläda sig mänsklig gestalt. Read more / PDF
[FR] Ak Welsapar, écrivain turkmène en exil, by Jentayu - Ak Welsapar est un cas particulier dans la littérature turkmène. Auteur de plus de vingt livres en turkmène, en russe et en suédois, il représente une vision indépendante du pays le plus fermé d’Asie centrale. Son livre le plus notable, Le Cobra, a été publié en 2002 en turkmène. Read more / Open PDF
