| There is hardly any literary life in Kyrgyzstan. The old authors are firmly in place in the successor to the socialist literary organisations, but they don't write anymore; only three young authors are members, but they don't talk to each other. The chances of publishing anything are near to zero – one reason why Sherboto Tokombaew works as a manager in a factory producing car batteries. The situation seems set to continue, with young authors hardly even able to show they exist. But with the Internet, things have improved considerably; new avenues of communication are opening up, making it possible to find important articles or books not available in Kyrgyzstan itself. At least the doors are now ajar – and that itself gives some grounds for hope. Interview: Sven Arnold and Katharina Natbutovic
|
