151–170 p.

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doi.org: 10.22378/he.2021-6-1.151-170

Reminiscences and a bait of the war years recorded in 1948 during a folklore expedition which was organized by scholars of the Institute of Language, Literature and History Hamid Yarmi and Khalida Gatina, are offered to readers’ attention. The expedition visited Aktanyshsky, Kalininsky, Muslyumovsky and Menzelinsky districts of Tatarstan. The expedition was attended by a third-year student of Kazan State University Nurikhan Fattakhov, who later became the author of historical novels. During the post-war expeditions, most of the informants were the Great Patriotic War veterans, front-line soldiers. They share memories of the Great Patriotic War, talk about the battles in which they participated, and about their military comrades. The first memory was recorded based on the story of Mukhammatziya Valiev. Valiev was a scout on the Leningrad and Stalingrad fronts for three years, and was wounded four times. According to the memoirs of a corporal intelligence officer, he spent one day in reconnaissance on the Stalingrad front. Salikh Shakirov ended the Great Patriotic War with the rank of Guard Captain, for display of courage he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner and the Medal For Courage. Salikh Shakirov was the commander of the reconnaissance department and recalls the events that took place during the military campaign to the German rear. Mirza Ibragimov tells about fierce battles in Ukraine, on the banks of the Dnieper. The memoirs describe how the soldiers resisted to the last, blew up German tanks, and carried out the wounded. Khanif Shaimardanov describes the tragedy of captivity. No edits were introduced into the texts. This gives you an opportunity to feel the live speech of the informants. The documents are kept in the funds of the Center for Written and Musical Heritage “Miraskhane” of the G. Ibragimov Institute of Language, Literature and Art of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences (collection No. 34, folder No. 4).

Keywords: reminiscences, the Great Patriotic War, folklore expeditions, the Institute of Language, Literature and History

For citation: Zakirova I.G. Istӓleklӓrdӓ – sugysh kaytavazy [Memories are an Echo of War]. Istoricheskaya etnologiya, 2021, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 151–170. https://doi.org/10.22378/he.2021-6-1.151-170

About the author: Ilsiyar G. Zakirova, Doctor Sc. (Philology), Chief Research Fellow of the Department of Folk Art, G. Ibragimov Institute of Language, Literature and Art of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences (12 K. Marx St., Kazan 420111, Russian Federation); ilzakirova@mail.ru

Received March 02, 2021   Accepted for publication March 22, 2021

Published Online April 21, 2021