Philosophy of heroism in Akhmedkhan Naloev’s novel “Riders of the Dawn”

S.M. Alkhasova

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Abstract: This article is about the famous novel by Akhmedkhan Naloev “Riders of Dawn”. The work explores the theme of heroism in a universal context. The author’s research orbit includes the matrix of sacred themes of the writer: fate – homeland – desire for freedom – revolution – Russia – the Caucasus – the Russo-Japanese War.
Aim. The study is a literary analysis of Naloev’s work, as well as an analysis of the originality and presentation of material in this work.
Results. The scientific novelty of this study lies in a thorough examination of the novel, which has not been previously subjected to a comprehensive literary analysis. Until now, there have been few serious works dedicated to this topic. The study addressed several objectives: revealing the key theme of heroism as a universal concept and incorporating other motifs observed in the novel. The author sets the task of analyzing the artistic structure of key episodes in the work, examining the system of characters and personalities, primarily the main character, Zalimgeriy Kerefov, moreover, the author considers the text stylistic and genre features. In addition, special attention is paid to how the author understands the historical events of the early 20th century – the Russo-Japanese War – through the prism of personal drama, social transformations and popular worldview. In addition, special attention is given to how the author interprets the historical events of the early 20th century – the Russo-Japanese War – through the lens of personal drama, social upheaval, and popular worldviews. As noted, despite the significance of the work of Akhmedkhan Naloev, the degree of scientific development of his heritage remains extremely low.
Conclusions. As a result of the study, the author comes to the conclusion that the novel “Riders of the Dawn” is a large-scale artistic canvas, which reflects the key events of the era: the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, and the early stages of the revolutionary movement in Kabarda. The theme of the philosophy of heroism is revealed through the lives of ordinary mountain dwellers, particularly, those from the village of Khatu-Anzorovo, among whom is Zalimgeriy Kerefov, who personifies the spirit of heroism. This is a spiritually mature figure, whose internal transformation symbolizes the awakening of national self-awareness. Through the character of the hero, the author not only reveals the universal theme of heroism, but also explores the deep internal conflicts of the era including the clash between the traditional way of life and new ideas, as well as the search for moral guidance in a world that is falling apart.

Keywords: theme of heroism, Russo-Japanese War, historical events, spiritual maturity, national identity

For citation. Alkhasova S.M. Philosophy of heroism in Akhmedkhan Naloev’s novel “Riders of the Dawn”. News of the Kabardino-Balkarian Scientific Center of RAS. 2025. Vol. 27. No. 5. Pp. 297–304. DOI: 10.35330/1991-6639-2025-27-5-297-304

References

1. Naloev A.Kh. Izbrannoye: rasskazy, povesti [Selected: stories, novellas]. Nalchik: El’brus, 1987. 320 p. (In Russian)
2. Naloev A.Kh. Izbrannoye v 2-kh tomakh [Selected in 2 volumes]. T. I. Nalchik: El’brus, 2001. 327 p. (In Russian)
3. Nalo Akhmedkhan. Nekhushch shu. Roman: na kab. yaz. [Nekhushch shu. Novel]. Nalchik: El’brus, 1977. (In Kabard.)

Information about the author

Svetlana M. Alkhasova, Doctor of Philology, Leading Researcher of the Sector of Kabardino-Circassian Literature, Institute for Humanitarian Researches – branch of the Kabardino-Balkarian Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences;
18 Pushkin street, Nalchik, 360000, Russia;
alkhas55@mail.ru, ORCID: https://orcid.org /0000-0003-1773-285X, SPIN-code: 1842-1520