The State Library of the State Cultural Centre of Turkmenistan hosted the event «Türkmen edebiýatynyň kerwenbaşysy», dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the birth of the people's writer of Turkmenistan Berdi Kerbabayev. The speakers noted the writer’s contribution to the development of Turkmen literature, talked about his works dedicated to history, national heritage and transformations in Turkmenistan, as well as numerous works and publications in periodicals dedicated to the life and creative path of the «Kervenbashy of Turkmen literature».
Berdi Myradovich Kerbabayev – people's writer and academician of Turkmenistan, Hero of Socialist Labor, laureate of the USSR State Prize and the State Prize of Turkmenistan named after Magtymguly was one of the most famous and titled representatives of Turkmen literature. His work is classified as «grand style» literature, the peculiarity of which is the predominance of large literary forms (novel, story, poem), the desire to consider the fate of heroes through the prism of large-scale historical achievements.
A typical embodiment of this desire was the epic novel «The Decisive Step», which, like an encyclopedia, absorbed the past of the Turkmen people, their traditions and culture, and the desire for a bright future. This work became the literary basis of one of the most successful films of the «Turkmenfilm» film studio – a two-part feature film of the same name directed by Alty Garlyyev.
Berdi Kerbabayev left a bright mark on Turkmen poetry and drama. His historical and biographical drama «Magtymguly» about the most significant milestones in the poet’s life served as a source of inspiration for other creative personalities in creating works about the great Turkmen patriot and philosopher.
A wide readership far beyond the borders of Turkmenistan knew the works of Berdi Kerbabayev, reflecting various facets of life in Turkmenistan – the story «Aysoltan from the Land of White Gold» about rural life, the novel «Nebit-Dag» about the work of Turkmen oil workers, «A drop of water is a grain of gold» about the large-scale construction project of the Garagum River, numerous stories and essays. In turn, the writer did a lot to introduce readers in Turkmenistan to the works of A.S. Pushkin, L.N. Tolstoy, I.A. Krylov, M. Gorkiy, M.A. Sholokhov and other famous authors, having translated more than 40 books into Turkmen.
