The news that acclaimed Uzbek author Hamid Ismailov would be visiting Carleton College brought excitement to several departments. For students, faculty and staff, the event was a rare opportunity to engage directly with a writer whose works have traversed continents, languages and cultures. Organized by Professor Adeeb Khalid, the visit promised not just a reading but an intimate glimpse into the life and mind of one of Central Asia’s most prominent literary voices.
“I think it was the day of the first opening convocation. Adeeb told me that they were bringing him and I was surprised,” recalled Gulzada Xan, Russian Language Associate at Carleton. “When I found out about Hamid, my professor said, ‘If someone gets a Nobel Prize for Literature from Central Asia, then it is going to be him.’ And I was like, ‘Wow, what a big name — and Carleton can bring this kind of thing here? It’s so cool.’”
For Xan, who is from Central Asia, seeing Ismailov in person carried a deeply personal resonance. “The thing is that he can’t go to Uzbekistan; he is exiled. And the only place to meet him is either in London or here. So I think it was a good opportunity,” she said.
The event itself was more than a simple visit from an author — it was a celebration of language, identity and literacy. One aspect of Ismailov’s talk particularly resonated with Xan: his devotion to his native language. “I never thought about it before. It’s so cool that he… could easily start writing something in English or keep writing in Russian, but he chooses to write it in Uzbek and he tries to challenge himself and the language,” she said.
When asked how living away from his homeland affected Ismailov’s work, Xan explained that being removed from his country’s expectations gave him some liberty. “It gives him some kind [JUMP] of freedom,” Xan said. “It made me think a lot about older writers who wrote a lot of cool stuff when they were in exile… They were more productive because they were free. Nobody is going to judge them because maybe in the US or in Europe they are unknown or something and they feel like ordinary people and they can write really cool stuff.”
For Khalid, the event was an opportunity to bring a high-profile Central Asian author to Carleton and expand campus engagement with the region. “His newest book, ‘We Computers’, just came out in July,” he explained. “He wrote to me and said, ‘There’s this book tour, would you be interested in hosting?’ And my eyes just went wide and I said, ‘Yes.’ So then we had to find funding.” Departments across campus — Russian, French, History, Asian Studies and the Humanities Center — came together to make the visit possible.
Khalid’s primary goal was simple: “I think my number one thing was just to have an event like that, to present a high-profile author whose book is really very interesting. And it was just to [give] us, students and faculty, an opportunity to witness that.”
He noted that the takeaway for attendees could vary, depending on prior knowledge and personal interest. “It’s a fairly complicated book… about poetry in Persian and Uzbek and about computers and all sorts of things that you cannot actually just give a summary of. And it has gone this far as to be a finalist for the National Book Award. I’m really delighted that people appreciate work like this.”
The visit also highlighted Ismailov’s multilingual literary ability. He writes in both Russian and Uzbek but occasionally translates between the two or incorporates elements of Persian, Kazakh and other Turkic languages into his work. “It means that when you know so many languages, you have access to the poetry of those languages, of those literatures,” Xan said. “I think his writing is very different from other Central Asian writers because he has succeeded in transcribing Persian poems… He is connected to the global and to the past of Central Asia and to the present.”
People like Kaylei Stahl-Winch ’28, a Russian student, approached the event with curiosity and left with a new appreciation. “I was not familiar with his work,” Stahl-Winch said, “but it seemed interesting to be able to go to a talk and learn about an author I hadn’t heard of from another country. I also thought it would be really cool to hear something from the translator because I don’t believe I’ve ever met anyone who’s translated literary works.”
She recalled being struck by Ismailov’s reflections on language choice: “He was talking about how Russian is more like a business language and Uzbek is more like a language you’d speak at home… And then he noted that he actually had done the opposite in his books. I thought it was fascinating to hear how he decided, or maybe not even officially decided, which language to write in.”
The atmosphere of the event itself was sociable and inviting. “It was pretty friendly,” Stahl-Winch said. “A lot of people were talking with the translator and the author before the event. There were cookies and tea in the back. It was just warm, cozy and friendly.”
Attendees had the chance to interact with Ismailov in person at a Russian tea gathering, where students discussed their studies and what drew them to the Russian Department. “He would ask us a couple of questions, like what we were studying and what made us decide to take Russian,” Stahl-Winch said.
For Xan, the event was also a reminder of the richness of Central Asian literature and the potential for students to explore it. “I think he’s a very cool author to start exploring Central Asian literature,” she said. “While reading him, you kind of get a lot of names of the poets, Central Asian poets… And then go back and read their poetry… It’s a good intro.”
Xan also reflected on how the visit deepened her sense of connection to the region. “Meeting him made me kind of closer to Uzbek literature or poetry and I’m now curious about their poetry and I want to learn more.”
Khalid highlighted the unique opportunity for Carleton students to engage with a living author of international renown: “It was the first centralization event of this kind that we’ve had. We’ve had other speakers before, but this was on a whole different scale. An author who’s a finalist for the National Book Award — it’s a huge deal.”
Beyond Ismailov’s visit, Khalid hopes such events can continue to expand students’ exposure to Central Asian culture and literature. “Now that we have our Russian program going to Kazakhstan, I think there might be more things like that in the future,” he said.
As for Stahl-Winch, the event opened her eyes to a literary world she had not previously explored. “It did make me realize just how much literature I was probably missing. So I definitely would probably try and read more from anywhere and Central Asia, in particular, perhaps.”
For faculty, language assistants and students, the visit of Hamid Ismailov offered a rare combination of cultural exchange, literary appreciation and academic exploration. For Carleton College, it was more than just an event with an author; it was an opportunity to witness the richness of Central Asian literature and the power of literature to bridge language and place.
