Derya Soysal: What is Cengiz Aïtmatov’s place in the Kyrgyz Republic?

Eldar Aytmatov: I think it’s better to ask the Kyrgyz people, but I’ll try to answer this question. It’s a bit personal for me because I am his son, so I can say this is my vision. I believe any Kyrgyz would say the same thing as me. Cengiz Aytmatov is a hero for the Kyrgyz people, like Manas, the epic story, the character who founded our people, the first commander to unite the Kyrgyz tribes and create this people. It’s an epic story, a legend, of course. Cengiz Aytmatov is also something sacred, which forms the identity of a Kyrgyz person.

Derya Soysal: Cengiz Aytmatov is read worldwide, but in Turkiye, for example, there are films adapted from his books like “Al Yazmalim,” so he has a very important place in the Turkic world. What is your favorite work of Aytmatov?

Eldar Aytmatov: My favorite work is “Spotted Dog Running on Seashore” and secondly “The White Cloud of Genghis Khan.” These are my favorites, but his most important works are “A Day Longer Than a Century.”

Derya: We know he talks a lot about imagination, the suffering of the Kyrgyz during the Soviet era, … and what touched you?

Aytmatov’s son: For me, the most important thing is humanism; he is always searching. He said that the hardest thing for a human is to remain human every day. He added that it is the conscience that makes you human and better every day and to become better every day.

Derya: Do you have another favorite phrase of Cengiz Aytmatov?

Aytmatov’s son: He said that music is given by God to humans because human life is so short, only music makes life eternal.

Derya: What memory do you have of Cengiz Aytmatov as a father?

Eldar Aytmatov: The best memory of my father? I think it’s all my childhood. He was always someone I wanted to resemble. I wanted to be like him. He was always in front of me, a model for me, a man who thinks, a man who wants to be better. That’s how you should be, behave. For me, he was a model in everything. I try to be like him, to think like him. He gave me many lessons, and I am the child who lived with my parents. My brothers and sisters left home for university. I always stayed with my family. In Kyrgyz tradition, the last son must take care of his parents, even once married.

Derya: Aytmatov is an important figure in the Turkic world. What image did Aytmatov have of the Turkic world?

Eldar Aytmatov: He wanted the Turkic world to be united because together is always better, for the economy, for culture. We see this with European countries or other parts of the world with economic zones and countries without borders. Many things happen. It’s good for all Turkic countries. My father wanted a Turkic union, and today this union is being created. It’s not as fast as we wanted, but the Organization of Turkic States is advancing. Culturally, there is great unification.

Derya: The Kyrgyz people are a people who imagine; did Aytmatov look at the sky like with the tunduk to imagine?

Eldar Aytmatov: Of course, when he was little, he went to the yurt, looked at the skies, his grandmother told him a story. Of course, there were many things he imagined. The Kyrgyz people are very imaginative; we have many stories, legends. Aytmatov used all these stories, … these legends, especially learned from his grandmother.

Derya: Why is Aytmatov important globally?

Aytmatov’s son: There are literary critics who place him alongside Alexander Pushkin, Dostoevsky, … He is a global writer with a philosophy of humanism, which we feel and read in his works. His works have been translated into 185 languages. The answer is because his works are necessary for people who think, it’s universal. Aytmatov’s works try to answer philosophical questions, love, God, universal questions that every person faces during their life. These are universal themes. Readers, while reading, find answers to these existential questions but also inspirations. That’s why he is read and will be read worldwide.

Derya: What book do you recommend?

Eldar Aytmatov: “Snow Leopard,” “When the Mountains Fall.”

Derya: Why should we visit Kyrgyzstan?

Eldar Aytmatov: It’s still unknown in the world. It’s one of the countries with the most beautiful mountains in the world; we have mountaineering, skiing, we have a unique lake in the mountains, Issyk-Kul, one of the deepest lakes in the world. We have beautiful landscapes everywhere. But most importantly, it’s the warm, hospitable, kind people. In Kyrgyz tradition, when you receive a guest, you must treat them like a king.