Recs if you like Abai (abridged)...

A region that shaped world history, produced some of its most luminous poetry, and somehow stayed off most reading lists. A reading list for anyone who realized they knew almost nothing about/from Central Asia and wanted to fix that. Central Asia includes Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and most of Kazakhstan. Sometimes Afghanistan is also considered a part of it.

Here I will be collecting fiction books written by Central Asian (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan) authors that were published in English—either originally written or translated into English.

I’m on a personal journey of discovering more stories written in or about my homeland (which often intersects with most Turkic cultures especially that are now Central Asia) and would love if others share the joy of reading outside the comfort zone. ✨

Fiction books set in Kazakhstan