Eralieva Yrys
Candidate of Philological Sciences, acting associate professor
Kyrgyz State University named after. I. Arabaeva
Department of technology for teaching Kyrgyz and Russian languages in primary schools.
Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek
ORCID: 0009-0001-3795-8402
Introduction
At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, a new direction emerged in philosophy—existentialism. It arose as a response to the crisis of European culture at the turn of the century. Industrialization, urbanization, social inequality, the First World War, and the crisis of humanism compelled humanity to rethink the world and itself. According to the law of cause and effect, in these catastrophic realities, new ways had to be found to address emerging problems across various social and political spheres. A search for a «new Noah’s Ark» began in philosophy, politics, sociology, psychology, and literature. New semantic markers were proposed: subjective truth, personal choice, and faith (S. Kierkegaard); reevaluation of values, individual responsibility (Friedrich Nietzsche); borderline situations (Karl Jaspers); being and anxiety (Martin Heidegger); spiritual dimension of personality, attitude toward suffering (Viktor Frankl), among others. At the center of existential philosophy is the concrete existence of the individual.
Main part. Existentialism developed amid disappointment in rationalism, progress, and the positivist faith in science. Europe experienced a spiritual and cultural rupture, demanding a new philosophy—a philosophy of human existence that considers the inner voice of the individual in correlation with external influences at various levels. Existentialism, or the philosophy of existence (Karl Jaspers, The Spiritual Situation of the Time), focuses on the uniqueness of human being, the depth of emotional nature, and proclaims the idea of human transcendence of one’s own essence. American existential psychologist and psychotherapist Rollo May defines existentialism as a cultural movement “capturing the profound emotional and spiritual dimensions of modern man, portraying the psychological situation in which he finds himself, and expressing the unique psychological difficulties he faces” [6].
The core category of existentialism is existence (S. Kierkegaard), which denotes the inner «being» of the person. It is determined by the individual’s own will but has roots (e.g., according to Jaspers) in a certain mysterious “transcendence,” i.e., in God. Existence is not known but “illuminated” or “revealed” in “critical moments” (ataraxia, heroic deeds, death, etc.). For existentialists, this category justifies irrationalism and moral relativism [Философский словарь, 1963]. In other words, existence is the inner world filled with choice, doubt, fear, despair, and faith (in the future, in God, in love…). We can consider this definition through a literary text.
The author of Ali and Nino, Kurban Said (Lev Abramovich Nussenbaum—Essad Bey, son of Ibrahim), was an extraordinary individual. His biography and work were full of life’s cataclysms stemming from political changes in the early and mid-20th century. His life coincided with pivotal events in Europe: World War I, the October Revolution, exile from Baku to Germany, World War II. The chronotope of his life and work reflects his “split” identity—the changing of names, cultures, and languages—and embodies the existential tonality of the author’s fate. Reality was destructive and harsh, yet it became, in his work, a compensatory factor for everything he lacked—homeland, family, love.
Kurban Said embodied two cultural codes—Western and Eastern. The interplay of two different but interpenetrating cultures in one individual became a creative tandem, demonstrating both attraction and repulsion between East and West.
The novel Ali and Nino can be interpreted as an artistic reconstruction of a lost world—Baku at the beginning of the 20th century, a multicultural space where bipolar cultural traditions and ideologies coexisted. The text expresses Kurban Said’s nostalgia for his homeland. Emigration was not a voluntary cultural choice but a consequence of historical catastrophe, the whirlpool of which destroyed the lives of people, families, and nations. The loss of homeland became irreversible, turning nostalgia into a permanent internal state. Nostalgia for Azerbaijan becomes an existential dominant both in the author’s life and in the fate of the novel’s protagonist.
The narrative of Ali and Nino is told from the perspective of the protagonist, Ali Shirvanshir. He studies at the classical 6th-grade Baku Russian Imperial Gymnasium, where his class consists of “thirty Muslims, four Armenians, three sectarians, and one Russian” [Саид К, 2025]. This fragment shows that Ali identifies himself and others according to religious, national, ethnic, and confessional markers. He belongs to a majority Muslim group and gains exposure to classical European culture through the gymnasium and Russian teachers. Ali lives in two worlds: at home in Asia, at school in Europe.
Ali is an exceptionally positive character: a devoted son, a family-tradition preserver, a true Muslim, passionate patriot of Baku and the steppes, respectful to elders and servants, and proud of his ancestors.
The novel contains many vivid descriptions immersing the reader in Baku’s everyday life. Ali recounts:«Before me rose the Maiden Tower, pressed to the ground and covered with legends and guidebooks. Beyond the fortress began the sea—a faceless, dark, incomprehensible Caspian—and beyond it stretched the desert—jagged stones and low shrubs: quiet, silent, unconquered—the most beautiful landscape in the world» [Саид К, 2025].
Here, the landscape mirrors both the hero’s fate and the fate of the people—alternating between the quiet ordinary life and the destructive waves of history. Life between these two extremes shapes the characters’ temperament: tender and poetic internally, resilient and loyal externally.
Ali also describes the arrival of his uncle from Tehran in the port, highlighting his past deeds and external appearance: «He wore a cloak with a silk lining, a small fur cap, and boots. His thick beard and nails were dyed with henna as a sign of devotion to Imam Hussein… His small eyes looked tired, and his movements were slowed» [Саид К, 2025].
This depiction illustrates a person deeply rooted in religious tradition yet internally weary. Henna-stained beard and nails symbolize religious devotion and spiritual identity, while his tired eyes and slow movements convey inner fatigue and life experience.
Ali’s father holds a special place in his life, guiding him with advice: «Your Nino is a Christian. Do not allow her to come to us with her faith… Be patient with her. Generally, love for a woman is not encouraged. A man should love the Motherland or war. Believe me: a man must care for a woman, but love must be on the woman’s part. Such is the will of Allah» [Саид К, 2025].
Ali is a half-European, balancing European and Asian value systems. The character of Nino is omnipresent in Ali’s thoughts and surroundings. Numerous epithets demonstrate Ali’s pure and steadfast love: «Georgian women are the most beautiful in the world»; «Nino Kipiani—what a beautiful Georgian name!»; «Soft oval face, moist lips, and a dreamy gaze behind her Georgian lashes»; «My beautiful Nino» [Саид К, 2025].
Ali Shirvanshir is a reliable friend and loyal companion, supported throughout the novel by Ilyas-bek, Muhamed Geydar, and Seid Mustafa. Friendship in the novel reflects the Eastern aristocratic code of honor: solidarity, mutual support, and fidelity to one’s word.
Ali acknowledges the value of his privileged upbringing but is swept by turbulent historical events demanding existential decisions: «To me, Shirvanshir, a comfortable future was destined—to receive a lavish court title and speak of my tender feelings in the refined language of the classics» [Саид К, 2025].
During a religious Shiite mourning procession (mukarrama), Ali voluntarily participates, experiencing spiritual identification and emotional immersion through physical pain, demonstrating both cultural and existential engagement. Nino perceives this ritual as formal and even barbaric—a manifestation of cultural conflict between husband and wife.
After Baku’s liberation by Enver Pasha, Ali and Nino return home. The final chapters unfold against the dramatic events of 1918–1920 in the Transcaucasus. Defending his hometown from the Red Army, Ali Shirvanshir dies, having ensured Nino and Kukolka’s escape to Tiflis via Ilyas-bek.
As I. Yalom notes, “One must confront death, freedom, and isolation directly” [Ялом И., 1999]. Ali experiences freedom, isolation, and death—the final chord of personal and generational tragedy.
A. Camus states that “The spirit is liberated only by thought that leaves it alone with itself, convinced of its own limitation and of the death awaiting it. No doctrine can seduce it” [Камю А., 1990]. In the novel, historical and social pressures—social, national, political—create internal conflict for Ali. His final choice—to defend Baku—is both fidelity to an ideal and tragic confirmation that history allows little room for harmonious human realization.
Yuval Harari emphasizes that “The most important question for humanity is not ‘What should be forbidden?’ but ‘Who (or what) do we want to become?’” [Харари Ю., 2016]. From an existential perspective, this underscores the significance of conscious self-formation within historical and cultural contexts.
Thus, historical conflict becomes an existential situation in which the characters must define themselves. Ali and Nino’s love represents an intercultural dialogue constantly tested by religious differences, rituals, and divergent value systems. Ali demonstrates existential maturity: he defines himself not by circumstances but by his conscious choice within them.
V. Frankl identifies three paths for humans to make life meaningful: creative work, experiential engagement, and finding meaning in life itself, including suffering [7]. Ali and Nino choose to be together, yet historical bifurcation forces a separation. Nino preserves hope; Ali fulfills his existential choice.
Ali’s death is both a national tragedy and an act of self-determination. He remains true to his inner code, even at the cost of life. Nino’s decision to survive and preserve her child is equally existential. Ali’s death embodies the dual nature of historical tragedy and existential outcome of free choice.
As Camus asserts, “The spirit is freed when one faces one’s limitation and death without hiding behind doctrines or comforting ideologies” [Камю А., 1990]. Ali’s action—staying to defend Baku—is an existential rebellion, not against history but against the futility of capitulation. Through conscious action, he “creates” his fate.
The literary narrative of Ali and Nino reveals psychological mechanisms of existential choice—experiences of freedom, responsibility, and meaning uncertainty. The novel serves as a significant psychological resource for understanding existential self-determination in conditions of cultural and historical conflict. Existential choice, in this context, is an internal self-determination process, intertwined with anxiety, responsibility, and the loss of stable meaning frameworks.
Conclusion
Kurban Said’s novel Ali and Nino represents not only a literary depiction of love and historical conflict, but also a profound existential narrative reflecting the psychological and spiritual struggles of an individual living at the intersection of cultures, ideologies, and historical catastrophes. Through the image of Ali Shirvanshir, the novel reveals the complexity of existential self-determination, where personal freedom, responsibility, cultural identity, love, and loyalty become central dimensions of human existence. The existential philosophy reflected in the novel demonstrates that human beings define themselves through conscious choice made under conditions of uncertainty, anxiety, and historical instability. Ali’s inner conflict between Eastern and Western value systems, tradition and modernity, personal happiness and patriotic duty illustrates the existential tension between individual desires and external social realities. His final decision to remain in Baku and defend his homeland becomes not merely a patriotic act, but also an existential affirmation of personal authenticity and moral responsibility.
At the same time, the novel emphasizes that existential experience is inseparable from historical and cultural context. The destruction caused by wars, revolutions, exile, and political transformations shapes both the author’s worldview and the destiny of the characters. Nostalgia, displacement, loss of homeland, and cultural fragmentation become existential constants that define the psychological atmosphere of the work. Furthermore, Ali and Nino demonstrates that intercultural dialogue, despite contradictions and tensions, remains possible through love, empathy, and mutual understanding. The relationship between Ali and Nino symbolizes the encounter of East and West, tradition and modernity, spirituality and rationality. Their love becomes both a personal and philosophical attempt to overcome cultural boundaries.
Thus, the novel may be interpreted as an important existential text revealing the psychological mechanisms of freedom, responsibility, identity, sacrifice, and self-realization. Kurban Said’s work remains highly relevant in the modern world, where individuals continue to search for meaning and selfhood amid social transformations, cultural conflicts, and global uncertainty.
References
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