Abstract:

Daniel Prior's translation -- including a "How to Read the Epic" section, commentary, maps and illustrations -- of a Kirghiz epic poem in the Manas tradition composed in oral performance by Saghïmbay Orozbaq uulu between 1922 and 1926 is a major contribution to both Central Eurasian Studies and Folklore or Epic Studies. Within Central Eurasian Studies, the book joins a growing body of innovating works which seek to understand the cultures and histories of the region on their own terms – or in their own expressions. Within Folklore Studies, and notwithstanding the modesty of the author, the book is a step – or a stride – further to expanding the horizon of comparativists and to a better appreciation of the epic and oral lore of Central Eurasia. As Prior’s previous books, this one again can serve as a model to both local (i.e., Central Eurasian) and international scholars of how to share with a broader public a passion for epics – or, for that that matter, for other samples of vernacular literature -- without compromising on text or context. The forum offers the occasion to reconsider the hugeness of the translation enterprise and the old and new challenges it encounters in the 21st century.