TY - JOUR

T1 - The Beginnings of Pashto Narrative Prose

AU - Pelevin, Mikhail

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - The article argues that the first specimens of Pashto original narratives in free prose are to be found in the historiographical compilation Tārīkh-i muraṣṣaʿ (1724) among the texts of the chronicles, diaries, and memoirs written by the Khaṯak tribal rulers Khūshḥāl Khān (d. 1689) and Afżal Khān (d. circa 1740/41). Over thirty fragments from these texts may be qualified as short stories for, being focused on particular events and episodes, they are distinguished by strikingly realistic manner of narration and well developed elements of detailing, descriptiveness and emotiveness. Richly illustrated with translations of selected excerpts from original Pashto texts the article summarises the stories’ subject-matters by grouping them into three main categories (wars, incidents, everyday life events) and discusses various aspects of the authors’ narration techniques, such as compression of time and space in kea moments of action, accentuated portrayal of characters, extensive use of direct speech with a range of s

AB - The article argues that the first specimens of Pashto original narratives in free prose are to be found in the historiographical compilation Tārīkh-i muraṣṣaʿ (1724) among the texts of the chronicles, diaries, and memoirs written by the Khaṯak tribal rulers Khūshḥāl Khān (d. 1689) and Afżal Khān (d. circa 1740/41). Over thirty fragments from these texts may be qualified as short stories for, being focused on particular events and episodes, they are distinguished by strikingly realistic manner of narration and well developed elements of detailing, descriptiveness and emotiveness. Richly illustrated with translations of selected excerpts from original Pashto texts the article summarises the stories’ subject-matters by grouping them into three main categories (wars, incidents, everyday life events) and discusses various aspects of the authors’ narration techniques, such as compression of time and space in kea moments of action, accentuated portrayal of characters, extensive use of direct speech with a range of s

KW - Narrative Style

KW - Historiography and Culture of Pashtun Tribes

KW - Khushhal Khan Khatak

KW - Pashto Literature

U2 - 10.1163/1573384X-20170203

DO - 10.1163/1573384X-20170203

M3 - Article

VL - 21

SP - 132

EP - 149

JO - Iran and the Caucasus

JF - Iran and the Caucasus

SN - 1609-8498

IS - 2

ER -