Behbudi’s Critical Views

The article discusses the literary and critical views of Mahmudkhoja Behbudi, known as the father of Turkestan Jadidism. Particular attention is given to the religious-educational and moral-social factors characteristic of the thinker’s aesthetic outlook. The study highlights his significant contribution to the development of Jadid literary criticism. Furthermore, the article examines Behbudi’s activities in publishing and the press, including his practical work in the ‘Samarkand’ newspaper, Journal of ‘Oyina’, Publishing House of ‘Behbudiya’, and ‘Behbudiya’ Library. Through his numerous articles on diverse topics, Behbudi exerted a profound influence on the intellectual and spiritual life of Turkestan society in his time. The research also explores the renewal of aesthetic thought in the 1910s–1920s, marked by the introduction of epic, lyric, and dramatic genres from other literatures, the revival of the barmoq (syllabic) poetic meter, the emergence of European verse patterns in national poetry, and the transformation of aesthetic criteria and literary demands, all of which were expected to align with national ethical values. The article provides an analysis of Behbudi’s essays ‘Tanqid saralamoqdur’ (‘Criticism Is Selection’) and ‘Teyotr nadur?’ (‘What Is Theatre?’).