Historical facts about Shokan Ualikhanov in the epistolary heritage of S. Mukanov

Abstract

Sabit Mukanov was one of the first to study the rich heritage of Shokan. The life, work and
fate of Shokan interested the writer at the beginning of his research path. While studying in Leningrad,
Sabit Mukanov studied Sh. Ualikhanov’s archival manuscripts. S. Mukanov’s studies of materials on the
fate and work of Shokan were continued after his return to the country. Thanks to many years of hard
work of the author, his works Shokan Ualikhanov, Aqqan Zhuldyz and others were published.
The article analyzes the works of the writer about Shokan Ualikhanov, based on the epistolary
heritage. It also talks about the research of Sabit Mukanov and the difficulties of the research.
The article also analyzes the epistolary heritage of Sabit Mukanov, especially letters from readers
preserved in the State Archives of the Republic of Kazakhstan. These letters are a kind of key to Mukanov’s
creative laboratory.
Through the letters of the readers of the novel Aqqan Zhuldyz and the play Shokan Ualikhanov, the
author analyzes the attitude of the society of that time to the work and tries to reveal the unknown sides
of the work.