Jana Kunitskaya

Dastar-nama by Khushkhal Khan Khattak Jana Kunitskaya

The problem of the formation and development of Pashtu literature is one of the main issues in Afghan literary studies. Hypotheses about the time of its emergence vary, but all researchers agree that since the work of Khushkhal Khan Khattak (1613-1689) one can speak of the emergence of Afghan literature itself. The Khattak chief became the first national Afghan writer, still revered in Afghanistan as "the caravanner of Pashtun literature," in the expression of Gul Pacha Ulfat. This paper focuses on Khushkhal's only prose work, "Dastar-nama" or "The Book of Turban". It is a compendium of qualities and skills that a worthy member of Pashtun society should possess. The vast thematic, substantive and compositional possibilities of the genre of didactic-entertainment prose of the secular trend - the adab - were fully utilized by the author in his work. Besides, Khushkhal-khan is aware of the stylistic and aesthetic value of fiction: his prose work is abundantly decorated with poetic insertions. Thus, "The Book of Turban" forms an overall picture of Pashtun life in the 17th century.