GEOPOETICS AND THE PROBLEM OF AUTHENTICITY IN ABISH KEKILBAYEV’S NOVEL «AT DAWN» («VSPOLOKHI»)

Abstract

In an era when national histories are being reinterpreted on a global scale, geopoetics offers a way to rethink how cultural identity is constructed – not as a “natural” inheritance but as the outcome of deliberate artistic strategies. The novelty of this study lies in using geopoetics to analyse «At Dawn» («Vspolokhi»), a novel by the Kazakh literary classic Abish Kekilbayev that bears witness to historical traumas and the search for a self‑image. The aim is to determine how different types of space in the novel contribute to the construction of authenticity. We employ a comprehensive geopoetic methodology that builds on Kenneth White’s view of space as an active narrative agent, Michel de Certeau’s concept of everyday practices and Edward Soja’s theory of spatial metaphors reflecting social transformations. The analysis shows that the sacred, organic steppe shapes the characters’ worldview through natural cycles and rituals, whereas the artificial, “museum‑like” space of the imperial centre epitomised by St. Petersburg’s Kunstkamera appears alien to them. A supplementary examination of symbolic details and readers’ reception indicates that the notion of authenticity is not fixed but dynamically shaped at the intersection of historical memory, everyday practices and geographical imagery. Thus, space in the novel ceases to be a mere backdrop and becomes a tool for creating genuine cultural distinctiveness amid crisis. The theoretical value of the research lies in refining the methodology for applying geopoetics to postcolonial texts and in drawing attention to decolonising approaches in the humanities, while the practical significance lies in developing a transferable model of analysis that can be used to study identity‑formation processes in other literary traditions facing similar historical challenges.