My first step into world literature. I took the book in my hands with excitement and awe, firmly believing that I would find and receive information about the wonders of the entire universe. I was captivated by the fact that the name of a Kazakh girl was written on the book's cover, and that a European work had been translated within the Kazakhstani publishing practice. This translation once again hoisted the blue banner of Kazakh culture and literature high across the firmament. She brought the unattainable, unfathomable, and inexpressible treasures of world literature to the Kazakh people, presenting them in an accessible, lightweight, and yet comprehensive form. In other words, the treasury of Kazakh culture has gained yet another weighty work. The magnetic pull of the introduction inspired me to read the book in a single breath all the way to the end—right down to the glossary. Without lingering long in the introduction, I hurried on in search of answers to the question: "What kind of journey is this?" When I thought of a journey, I imagined boarding a plane, bustling through airports, witnessing the magnificent sights of foreign lands, tasting all the best foods, strolling along beaches and through museums, parks, and enjoying luxury. But as it turned out, Marco's journey was not a stroll around a park, but a flight toward the horizons of politics. Usually, while most people set off on journeys driven by bodily desires like "having something to drink" and "something to eat," I immediately noticed that this traveler embarked on the path with a thirst for spiritual knowledge—with the goal to "know," "see," and "learn." How did I realize this? From the fascination with which he transferred everything onto paper—from the way of life in each region to the peculiarities of local worship, noting what he saw with vigilant sharpness, comprehending his conclusions to the very depths, and grasping the essence down to its foundation. From the way he painted with words what his eyes beheld. Mukhtar Auezov's thought that "if this is a book of truth, born from the genuine existence of what has been known and seen, then there is no higher purpose than that" seems to elevate the dignity of this work even further.
As the saying goes, more interesting than the event itself is how it came to be—let us dwell on how this book was created. Its original was written within prison walls over the course of nearly two years. A work born in a cramped and gloomy cell became known to the whole world; a creation that arose within the confines of four walls spread from the most prominent places to the farthest corners of the entire globe. The work, written in silence, carried its voice across the world. The pen swayed in darkness, becoming an invaluable guide filled with rich information that illuminates the path for humanity—especially for scholars and researchers who strive to know history, grasp the secret of travel, and master the culture of other lands. And now—how was this work translated into the Kazakh language? A language unfamiliar to prior understanding has been translated in an amazingly captivating way. It is as if Raima Aueskhan was a companion on the journey of Marco Polo himself, as if at the very moment when Marco recounted everything himself and Rustichello wrote it down, she too was present and sharing that very instant. I believe the translator managed to accomplish the translation so deeply and convincingly that she felt all the events as though she had lived through them herself, visited places where her foot had never trod, saw what she had never beheld with her own eyes, flying alongside Marco over the Black Sea and serving together with him at the court of Kublai Khan. For the translator fully immersed herself in Marco's world, "walked in his shoes" (lit. put on his boots) and traversed the same path, without exhausting her strength or dimming the colors, but giving birth to the image of the translation from her own inner world. The thought of the First President that "a language capable of freely and in all its beauty conveying a hundred famous books of world literature is a powerful language, and the Kazakh language is just such a language" seems to explain the main reason why this book was translated so successfully.
The sentences are neither confusing nor cumbersome — as you read them, an image is recreated in your mind, and the process of recognition deepens in your perception. What I liked most is that the text contains expressions like "in our way," "like us," and "compared to us." That is, by comparing traditions, customs, and representatives of the fauna — perhaps not entirely identical, but unique in their own way — with our own, the translator emphasizes their similarity. I could not turn a blind eye to the spelling errors during the editorial work, but the fresh facts and the conscientiously executed translation more than made up for this shortcoming. In the sequence of events and the flow of narration, there is a subtle, barely perceptible connection and a silent harmony. Commas appropriately follow one another, and the period is placed firmly. Moreover, if the description of Chinese lands presented an opportunity to touch upon India, the reader was warned: "We will discuss this in a special section dedicated to India," so as not to tire or confuse them. And although there was no exact translation for some Italian words, the translator conveyed them in an understandable language and included explanations for every unfamiliar word. This book is not built on a single plot — from beginning to the end, it describes not just one event, but a thousand. Starting with how Marco set off on a journey across the East with his father and uncle, intertwining with amazing discoveries in various countries, strained by the mysteries of nature and the hardships of the road, the story reaches its climax in the service of Kublai Khan and concludes with his return to his native land and finding solid ground beneath his feet. Such is its brief composition. Finishing the book, I came to the conclusion that Marco Polo became a bridge that strengthened the cultural, historical, and geographical connection between West and East. The assertion "East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet" seems to be shattered to pieces thanks to the Polo dynasty. Marco, who grew up in the West, attained maturity of thought in the East. The Eastern world, familiar to me from Abai's "Iskender," "Masgut," and the traditions of nazira (imitation), was changed beyond recognition by this work. Baghdad, known to me through Abai's creations, was harmoniously complemented by the Baghdad from Marco's accounts. The treasure chest of Marco's 27-year journey from West to East revealed all its inner workings and secrets. I felt as though the words "In search of knowledge, gazing at the world, I looked into both sides" were spoken not by Abai, but by Marco Polo himself.
I was struck by the duration of his journey, equal to an entire human life. Though his feet wore out along the way, his drive never faded: he closely observed, evaluated, and appraised the entire expanse of the East—from its boundless steppes and cities to the air, from the mountains down to every stone. Every phenomenon he witnessed was described in cause-and-effect terms, linking it to its historical and social context. Speaking of the air—in his account of the city of Hormuz in the Indian Ocean, the traveler specially describes the phenomenon of the "hot wind" blowing in that region. According to him, this wind, blowing at a specific time each day, sometimes served as a "silent weapon" for the warriors. When enemies arrived in the region at precisely that moment, they suffered greatly from the scorching heat and suffocating wind. As we can see, Marco does not simply drop a phrase about an unfavorable climate, but substantiates it through the plight of enemies who suffered from this harshness. The fact that, in describing the air, he also mentions with whom the people of Hormuz were at war and over what issues they entered into battles is a sign that he thoroughly grasped the history of each settlement as well. In addition, I felt that an example of how closely and deeply the traveler peered into things was the way he described the natural features of certain regions in connection with their healing properties. His inclusion of information that people were cured of illnesses by breathing the air of certain mountains shows that he paid attention not only to geographical data, but to ethnographic and medical data as well. From this perspective, this work should be evaluated not simply as a travel diary, but as a most valuable source of information about the daily life and natural environment of various peoples. Of course, there are many books about travel in world literature. However, the distinctiveness of this work by Marco Polo lies in the fact that it contains not only impressions from the road, but also concrete information on how to prepare for a journey and how to protect oneself in dangerous zones. That is why Marco's record, written seven hundred years ago, has still not lost its value today; its significance and weight have only grown, and its relevance has by no means faded. The author does not hide and truthfully describes desert and semi-desert regions, dangerous roads, and moments when the traveler was forced to drink brackish water or water mixed with algae. Reading about such road torments, one involuntarily bows before the traveler's endurance and resilience, his aspiration for knowledge and craving for learning. The inclusion of such difficult and exhausting moments in the narrative dispels doubts like "did Marco really travel to the East?" and only strengthens our faith in him. Could he have written that he saw what he never actually witnessed? After all, doesn't a true scholar on the path of science, even slipping on ice or falling into a precipice, rely on exact facts, speaking equally of both the right and the erroneous? The fact that he experienced lifeless, waterless, and foodless regions firsthand, and then precisely instructed followers on what to prepare for if they were to go to those places—this is, as I realize with profound satisfaction, a manifestation of authenticity and supreme truth.
It is noticeable that he paid attention not only to languages, but also to religion, weighing even interreligious disputes. I frequently encountered the phrase "followers of Muhammad" (or "the Ummah of Muhammad"). According to Marco, a certain Muslim elder named Alaueddin conquered lands without war by creating his own earthly paradise under the slogan: "He who serves his master shall enter paradise." There were beautiful maidens, food to suit any taste, and magnificent nature, and the people believed him. This also testifies to his awareness of the faith of the Muslim people, who worship God and share the conviction: "Fulfill the command and you will go to paradise; fail to do so, and you will end up in hell." In another place, he mentions the "followers of Muhammad," characterizing that people as having bad intentions and being prone to alcohol. Such an opinion by Marco Polo may arouse skepticism in a modern reader. It gives the impression that in some places he describes the Muslim community in an unfavorable light. This is likely a judgment expressed under the influence of the traveler's own cultural environment or the European concepts of that time. Therefore, I perceived and evaluated such moments through the prism of the characteristics of that historical epoch. The way he describes that the Church Lake (Шіркеу көлі) usually has no fish, but fills with it on the eve of Great Lent and disappears again as Easter approaches, and how the author recognizes this as sustenance sent from the Lord and the fulfillment of the needs of Christians—all this serves as proof of his familiarity with the religious worldview. It prompts us to look at natural phenomena from a spiritual rather than a material perspective. Along with this, the story of the "moving mountain" near Baghdad tells how Muslims tested the faith of Christians and demanded that the mountain be moved by the power of prayer. The plot of how the mountain moved when the people offered a joint prayer is presented as a symbol of faith and unity. These events show that Marco Polo treated various religious views and beliefs with keen interest. The pious one-eyed shoemaker who prayed for the moving of the mountain: in his time, he had yielded to the temptation of female beauty and sinned with his glance (committed the adultery of the eyes). Guided by the power of the Gospel words: "If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you; it is better for you to enter life with one eye, rather than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire," he gouged out his own eye. Consequently, this means that they believe in the precepts of their sacred books just as sincerely as we believe in the hadiths in the Holy Quran. The traveler also did not leave unattended the peculiarities of life and traditions of each nation. I involuntarily compared the customs he described with our own. For example, when he mentions that in some countries women specially mourn a person upon their death, and if they do not feel like shedding tears themselves, they hire professional mourners for a fee, I compared this to our custom of zhoktau (mourning lament). But upon reaching the words "for a fee," I recalled the folk wisdom: "Every nation has its own customs" (lit.: everyone has their own customs, but the dogs are black-browed for everyone). Another ritual related to death is described in the land of Tangut. There, the deceased is not buried immediately: placing the body in a box, they keep it in the house while waiting for a favorable day designated by astrologers. If some misfortune occurred in the house, it was explained by the fact that the spirit of the deceased remained displeased. This notion echoes the Kazakh concept: "Unless the departed is content, the living will not prosper" (öli razy bolmay, tiri bayımas). Furthermore, when a boy was born in their families, they fattened a ram, sacrificed it, and distributed the meat. Through this, I was once again convinced that everywhere sons are glorified as the continuers of the lineage. The widespread tradition of polygamy, as well as the custom of marrying the wife of a deceased older or younger brother, I compared to our custom of amengership (levirate). In another place, it is said that if three-year-old children of two people died, they would betroth them posthumously, becoming matching in-law families. They drew items used in a wedding on paper and burned them together. It was believed that the smoke would reach their souls, and they would marry and become a new family in the afterlife. I know that Kazakhs have the concepts of besik kuda (cradle betrothal) and bel kuda (betrothal before birth), but the existence of the custom of posthumous child betrothal among the Mongols struck me. Marco Polo also pays special attention to the endurance and resilience of the Mongols. Noting that they are a people capable of enduring hunger and adapting to life in the most severe conditions, he recounts how they sometimes survived by eating dried curd or drinking horse blood. Such descriptions show that the nomadic way of life is closely connected to the harsh conditions of untamed nature.
If I were to describe all the situations in detail, there would be a great multitude of them. Even before starting to read the book, I glanced through the list of sections. The titles given in the first part alone serve as clear proof of how Marco noticed and depicted everything—from the smallest detail to grand events. I came to the conclusion that Marco's observation only multiplied his fortune and enhanced the quality of the journey itself. Of course, I have not read the original in Italian, but Raima Aueskhan breathed new life into this work in the Kazakh language, making it shine with fresh colors. This book must not remain in the shadows, and I believe it will not. As a reader who has fully mastered the book, I guarantee that it will serve as a reliable source for anyone seeking the knowledge they need. If any criticism is voiced regarding my review, I am ready to overcome it steadfastly, and if any reproaches are made, to pass through them without the slightest hesitation.
Reviewer: Kalikhanova Gulai Adilkhankyzy
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