The image of Kazan University in Tatar poetry

Abstract

The article systematizes the corpus of poetic texts dedicated to the Tatar Department/Faculty of Kazan University. Our analysis is based on the lyrical and lyrical-epic works of Tatar poets in the second half of the twentieth century and the first quarter of the twenty–first century (Ayaz Gilyazov, Naki Isanbet, Radif Gatash, Rkail Zaidullah, Lenar Shaeh, Rahim Gaisin, Bulat Ibrahim, and Renat Haris). The study uses the cultural-historical, comparative and comparative methods. We have shown that these works are focused on glorifying Kazan University as a temple of science, a center of education and enlightenment in the Region, fostering a sense of pride in the university staff. The Tatar Department/Faculty is celebrated in the poems as a source of national talent and a center of national culture. The article proves that the Tatar poets demonstrate their commitment to the local myths of Kazan University, such as the imperial, “Leninist”, and “Tolstoyan” ones. In some of the poems, there are echoes of post-colonial trauma. The poets endow some elements of the university space (its white columns, the staircase) with a symbolic meaning like the Tatar book, which becomes a symbolic capital of the Turkic-Tatar civilization. The evidence of Tatar poets’ innovative contribution to the development of the university theme in Tatar literature is their identification of a historical parallel in the actions of Safa Girey and Alexander I, aimed to develop education and the theme of mentorship in the Region through the presentation of a gallery of scholars, teachers, and graduates who have made Kazan University and the National Department known in the world.