To reveal the universal and specific aspects in the perception of reality by representatives of various linguocultural traditions, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the main cultural concepts found in linguistic materials. Our analysis is based on lexicographic sources. The purpose of our study is to identify the semantic, linguocultural, and associative components that comprise the semantic structure of the “Sugysh” (“War”) concept. The significance of cultural concepts is determined by frequency of their use. They are incorporated into phraseological units, proverbs, sayings, poetic, and song texts. As a socio-political phenomenon, this concept has a multifaceted definition in the Tatar language. It is studied by different sciences – history, political science, philosophy, sociology, etc. The theme of war holds a significant place in literature and art, reflecting the past and the present of the Tatar people. The article proves that the concept of “war” has a complex structure, consisting of different groups of features.

The purpose of this article is to study the reflection, development, and transformation of the war motif in Tatar poetry of the 20^th century, based on the works written in connection with the Great Patriotic War. In accordance with the purpose, the main object of the study is poetic works created in the year of 1941 and to the present day.The relevance of the work is determined by the lack of works systemically studying the development and transformation of this motif in national poetry. The article proves that war motifs in Tatar poetry emerged in the early 20^th century, gained new impetus during the Revolution and the Civil War, and finally took shape during the Great Patriotic War. The study reveals a transformation of war motifs in the second half of the 20^th century and the first third of the 21^st century.

This article analyzes the formation of the hero image in the pages of the Tatar socio-political and literary-artistic journal “Sovet әdәbiyaty” during the Great Patriotic War. The focus is on publications from 1943 to 1945, the period following the radical turning point in the war in favor of the USSR. The article identifies the nature of changes in the concept of Tatar history in the journal’s publications after the adoption of the Resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (the Bolsheviks) of August 9, 1944, and demonstrates that the editorial board shaped the pantheon of heroes strictly in line with the “Big Brother” concept. A number of publications from this period emphasize the continuity of the traditions of the Motherland joint defense from a common enemy in the history of the Tatar and Russian peoples, emphasizing their cooperation in the field of state and party building, in science and culture.

The article analyzes the image of Musa Jalil in the performances “Kaida Minem Ilem?” (“Where Is My Homeland?”), (written by Garaf Fakhrutdinov, directed by Ilyas Gareyev) and “Altynchach. Miras” (written by Musa Jalil and Ilgiz Zainiev, directed by Murat Abdukatinov), staged by the Almetyevsk Tatar State Drama Theatre. By genre, the former is a documentary performance and the latter is an arthouse drama-remake of the famous opera by N. Zhiganov and M. Jalil. The image of the poet-hero in “Kaida Minem Ilem?” is reconstructed in the light of the memoirs of the former legionnaire, the participant of the French Resistance G. Fakhrutdinov. This is an episodic character, presented in the performance as a poet, an underground fighter, and a bright representative of the Tatar intellectuals. In M. Abdukatinov’s play, Musa Jalil is the main character of the drama. On the one hand, in this production, the concept of the hero fits completely into the myth matrix of the Poet, established in the national culture; on the other hand, it demonstrates the creators’ desire to escape from the established ideas.

Candidate of Philology (1962) Faseev Fazyl Salikhovich (1925– 2016) was a linguist and translator. He was a participant of the Great Patriotic War (1943–1945). After graduating from the Department of Tatar Language and Literature of the Historical and Philological Faculty at Kazan State University in 1950, he completed a postgraduate course at the Institute of Language, Literature and History. In 1952–1955, he worked in the Committee of Radio Information at the Council of Ministers of the TASSR, taught the Tatar language at the Kazan Medical and Obstetric School. In 1955–1986, he worked at the Institute of Language, Literature and History of the Kazan Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences (in 1964–1965, he worked at Bashkir State University). F. Faseev was one of the most prominent scientists involved in the history of the Tatar literary language, the language of written monuments. The scholar’s topics of interest were textual criticism, lexicology, lexicography, onomastics, etymology, etc.

Mamin Mukhametsha Gumerovich (1905–1943) was a literary scholar, critic, and educator. He was a native of the village of Gorinka (currently in the Zubo-Polianky District of the Republic of Mordovia). He graduated from rural school in 1918 and completed teacher training courses in Penza in 1921. After working for a year in agriculture, he became a teacher in a rural school (1924–1930). His first reviews and literary critical articles were published during his studies at the Eastern Pedagogical Institute (1930–1933). After completing his postgraduate course at the Kazan Pedagogical Institute (1936), he began teaching at his alma mater. He was a participant in the Great Patriotic War. In August 1943, during a battle near Voronezh, M. Mamin was severely wounded and died at the hospital. In the history of Tatar literature, M. Mamin gained recognition as the author of the first monograph on H. Taktash – “The Poetry of H. Taktash” (1941).

Shagirzyan Lena (Shakirzyanova Galimzyanovna, 1945 – 2017) was one of the prominent representatives of 20^th–century poetry. In 1962, she graduated from the Kulle-Kim (Atninsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan) Secondary School and entered the Department of Tatar Language and Literature at the Kazan Pedagogical Institute. In 1967, she graduated from the Institute and worked for a year as a teacher at Tatar Secondary School No. 80 in Kazan. In 1968– 1973, she was a singer-actress of the RT Song and Dance Ensemble. Later, in 1974-1987, she worked as a translator-journalist at the Tatarstan State Radio Committee. From 1987, Lena Shagirzyan was engaged exclusively in literary work as a professional poet. She was the author of collections of poetry “The Overflowing Soul” (1982), “I Trust My Heart” (1986), “The ABC of Faith” (1993), “The Winged Horse” (1999), “The Cycle” (2002), and others. L. Shagirzyan is also known as the author of vivid journalistic, theoretical and critical articles on literature, memoirs of outstanding artists of the older generation, poetic dedications to her contemporaries. For her merit in the development of Tatar literature and art, L. Shagirzyan was awarded the honorary title of “The Honoured Artist of the Republic of Tatarstan” in 2000, and the Literary Prize of the Writers’ Union of Tatarstan named after H. Taktash for her book “Nostalgia” and her works dedicated to Hadi Taktash, the Tatarstan State Prize named after G. Tukay in 2011, and the honourary title “People’s Poet of Tatarstan” in 2016.

This article reviews Alfia Shamova’s book “Writers’ Letters from the Front: A Collection of Soldier-Writers’ Letters and Award Certificates” (2024). This large collection, which became the object of this review, is considered from the point of view of its content, structure, scientific, and spiritual value. This work, containing letters from the front and documents – the living memories of the Patriotic War chronicle, helps to revive harsh memories of the terrible forties, as it is imbued with the spirit of the time and the patriotic feelings of Tatar writers, their faith in our victory over the enemy.

The article provides a review of the book “The Hero’s Pen: Examples of the Work of Tatar Writers Who Died in the Great Patriotic War”, compiled by V. Nuriev and L. Safiullina to mark the 80^th anniversary of the Great Victory. The points of analysis are its content, structure, and literary examples passed on to the post-war generation as a deep memory and relics, which are evaluated as scientific and cultural value.