On December 3, 2024, the final literary salon of the year took place, dedicated to the outstanding writer Chingiz Aitmatov. The date was not chosen by chance. After the salon, everyone could stay and watch a film based on Aitmatov’s work “Early Cranes.”

The theme of the meeting was his philosophical statement: “They say that friends are known in adversity, but in my opinion, they are also known in happiness.”

There were no random people at the meeting. Everyone who attended was familiar with his works from school years. Therefore, this allowed the participants not only to discuss the key ideas of his works but also to talk about the aspects that were important to the author: friendship, human values, love, homeland, historical roots, and the global challenges faced by modern society.

As usual, the event took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere. The participants actively shared their impressions of the writer’s works, discussing their relevance and significance.

The attendees of the literary salon eagerly answered quiz questions, some of which sparked discussions. For example, the question of whether Chingiz Aitmatov attended kindergarten caused many debates, ranging from “Were there kindergartens in his childhood” to “Did kindergartens even exist in the area where he lived?” In addition, a literary and historical excursion was conducted, where the audience learned interesting facts about Aitmatov’s life, such as where he spent his childhood and what he did during the Great Patriotic War. Many were surprised to learn that at the age of 14, he served as the secretary of the village council.

Each participant read a particular work they wanted to present.

Olga, our regular participant, discovered “The Brand of Cassandra.” “You must read it! It’s such a powerful book! It’s more relevant than ever! The book raises questions about humanity’s global responsibility for the planet’s future!”

Books like “The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years,” where the key theme is the danger of losing historical memory and cultural roots, and “The White Ship,” in which the themes of man’s conflict with nature and moral values are revealed through the fate of a boy, were also not left unnoticed.

At the end of the event, a quiz was held, with questions concerning the life and works of the writer. Here are a few of them:

What did Aitmatov want to become as a child?

  1. Writer
  2. Tractor driver
  3. Teacher

Which of Aitmatov’s works introduced the term “Mankurtism”?

  1. “The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years”
  2. “Farewell, Gulsary”
  3. “The Place of the Skull”

Did Aitmatov want to crossbreed a bull and a yak: true or false?

In which country did Aitmatov serve as the Soviet Union’s ambassador?

  1. France
  2. Germany
  3. Luxembourg

Did Aitmatov love racing on sports cars: true or false?

“The Spotted Dog Running Along the Seashore”

The novella describes the life of a small fishing community whose existence is closely tied to the sea. Fishing and hunting play a key role in the survival of this group. Their entire way of life is permeated with mythology and respect for nature. The “spotted dog” refers to a place where the people live. It is a cliff that, from a distance, looks like a dog trotting along the water’s edge. The image of the spotted dog can also be seen as a symbolic prediction associated with the world of spirits and natural harmony. This image symbolizes the inevitability of fate.

There are four of them who went hunting at sea: three adults and a child. The boy, named Kirisk, is very proud, as this is his first real hunt. Next to him sits his grandfather, the old man Organ. He often drifts into memories and teaches the boy to observe nature and recognize its slightest signs. The old man Organ passes on the knowledge of his people to Kirisk. His stories and advice connect the past with the present, making him a kind of guardian of spiritual heritage.

The other two adults are Kirisk’s father, Emrayin, and his uncle, Mylgun. The father’s role is well depicted when he recalls his son’s birth, his childish naive questions, and his growth.

The sea in the novella is not just a natural force but also a symbol of the universe, which cannot be conquered but can only be respected and adapted to its laws.

There is much reflection in the novella about life and death. Death is perceived as inevitable, and the characters accept it voluntarily, though not without difficulty.

The boat first gets caught in a storm, during which the people throw everything that weighs it down overboard. Kirisk is entrusted with the most valuable thing: to guard the barrel of drinking water. The storm is followed by a dense, impenetrable fog. Everywhere there is fog and sea. No land is visible, and there is no way to navigate. Days pass. Water becomes increasingly scarce. The old man is the first to decide to leave life. He does so to leave more water for the younger ones. Next, Kirisk’s uncle goes overboard. The father is the last to leave. He understands that the boy’s chances of surviving alone at sea are slim, but there is still a chance. Covering his son with his jacket, he leaves when the boy is asleep.

– “Where was I when I wasn’t here?” he pestered his father when he returned from the sea.

What laughter… They silently laughed with his wife, only with their eyes. She especially enjoyed how he could not answer and did not know how to explain to the boy where he was before he existed.

Now the father would have told him that he was in him before he existed in the world, that he was in his blood, in his loins, from where he flowed into his mother’s womb and came to be, repeating him, and that now, when he himself disappears, he will remain in his son to be repeated in the children of his children…

Yes, that’s exactly what he would have said and would have been happy to say before dying, but now everything was coming to an end. His family line was coming to an end. At best, Kirisk’s life could last another day or two, but no longer; the father understood this well. And in this lay his irreconcilable misfortune, not in the fact that he had to leave the boat for the sake of his son…”

What scared him was not death, but that the family line might end.