Epic
The Book of Dede Korkut
Dede Korkut Kitabı
Anonymous · 1400
Synopsis
Twelve epic tales about the life of the Oghuz, followed by a chapter of sayings. The old sage Dede Korkut, bard and adviser to the khans, appears in every story and gives the heroes their names after their exploits, according to Küre and UNESCO. We follow Salur Kazan, the chief hero, Bamsı Beyrek, Deli Dumrul or the one-eyed giant Tepegöz, in a world of nomads where ancient beliefs and Islam mingle, with quarrels with the Georgians, the Pechenegs or the Kipchaks, archery, wrestling and horse races.
Context
The book brings together tales long transmitted orally and set down in writing, according to the Küre, in the second half of the fifteenth century, probably in the region of the Akkoyunlu; specialists hesitate between the fourteenth and the fifteenth century. The Dresden manuscript, partly translated by Heinrich Friedrich von Diez in 1815, contains the twelve tales; the Vatican one was identified by Ettore Rossi in 1950, and a third appeared in 2018 in a private collection in Gonbad-e Kavus, in Iran. The text alternates a simple prose, close to the spoken language, and rhythmic passages called soylama.
Who it is for
Twelve tales mixing prose and verse, translated into French by Gallimard and into English by Penguin.
Prizes and reception
In 2018 UNESCO inscribed the heritage of Dede Korkut on the list of intangible cultural heritage, at the request of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkey.