Tatar literature
Literary works written in Tatar language
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Through Literature, Russia and Islam
History
Tatar literature started nearly one thousand years ago. The most famous piece of early Tatar literature is The Story of Yusuf by Qol Ghali. Grammar of the Tatar literary language was different from standard Tatar as it had more Persian, Arabic, and Old Turkic words and during the Russian invasion of Tatarstan and occupation, Tatar poets still used the Arabic script even though it was banned by the Russian authorities. Tatars also used literature for their religion, Islam. In the 18th century, Kazakh poet, Abay Kunanbayev wrote many poems in Tatar. Tatar literature started to become popular during the 20th century and throughout the Soviet era especially during the Space Race. The city of Kazan was most famous for its literature because of Musa Dzhalil, a poet who wrote works in both Tatar and Russian.
Modern Day
The government of Tatarstan established an organization for Tatar literature called the Department of Tatar Literature.