94   AMERICAN Journal of Language, Literacy and Learning in STEM Education        www. grnjournal.us  

 

AMERICAN Journal of Language, Literacy and  
Learning in STEM Education 

Volume 3, Issue 3, 2025 ISSN (E): 2993-2769 

 
  

Literary Letters and Their Comparative-Typological Analysis 

 
  

Mamadaliyeva Susana Atamovna 

Senior Teacher 

Vardiyashvili Nazli Afdandil kizi 

Student, Karshi State University 

 

 

Abstract. This article examines letters in literature and literary criticism and their place in the works 

of the great poets Alisher Navoi, A.S. Pushkin, Gafur Gulam and N. Gumilyov. It has been revealed 

that letters play an important role in studying the biography of creators entering the creative 

laboratory and are an important source of revealing their creative and spiritual image. Literary 

letters serve as a valuable resource for studying not only the lives and works of writers and critics, 

but also the period of writing, the history, the reasons for writing, and the mysteries with all their 

contradictions. Therefore, in the article, some letters of Uzbek and Russian writers are studied in a 

comparative-typological way. Letters are one of the most concise and effective forms of human 

communication. 

Key words: Letter, literary criticism, poet, creativity, writer's letter, artistic thought, appeal, address. 

 

INTRODUCTION  

 Studying examples of the letter genre in literary criticism will undoubtedly be of great help in 

studying the methodological peculiarities of the work of writers, poets, and critics. Because, compared 

to other genres of criticism, such as reviews, a letter in literary criticism reflects the close ties between 

the writer and the critic, and in general, between the writer and the recipient, the reader or critic. 

Most importantly, literary letters reflect on literary problems, such as Literature, the secrets of 

creativity, and works of art that are examples of art. This brings the reader closer to the world of 

beauty called Literature, helping to develop his artistic taste. A letter is an expression of a person's 

feelings for each other. Therefore, since ancient times, great attention has been paid to letters. Letters 

can have various contents, for example, letters from great personalities, writers, critics; personal, 

friendly letters; social, journalistic letters, letters of a literary nature, letters addressed to officials, etc. 

Among these, letters from writers stand out for their unique characteristics. Letters related to literature 

are classified into several types, for example: 

1. Literary letters: a) letters. Academician B. Valikhudzhaev studies them in 4 groups, correctly 

emphasizing that the works themselves, which come under the word letter, are diverse in terms of 

genre and purpose, and it is difficult to measure them with one standard and draw any rules for all of 

them (Valikhudzhaev B., 1993, 20); b) love letters within literary works. 

2. Literary-critical letters. There are several such letters has views. Several letters of poets and writers 

to this series .We will analyze some of them. 

The writer's letter is of two types according to its subject, direction and form: 

1. Letters written on social, political, moral, literary topics. 



 

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Letters by A. Navoi, Oybek, Fitrat, Chulpon, S. Aini, G. Gulom and L. Tolstoy, V. G. Korolenko,M. 

Gorky, as well as letters written to writers and critics can be included in this type. 

2. Personal letters written by the writer to specific persons. In them, artistic and philosophical thinking 

takes the main place. 

The writer's letters to specific persons are social, artistic and literary having value, in the press during 

the writer's lifetime and after his death 

will be announced. Such letters, with their sophistication of literary form, simplicity and clarity of 

thought, have a strong influence on the improvement and development of the genre. Therefore, such 

letters of the writer are considered examples of artistic epistolary (essay art) literature, and the need 

to distinguish them according to their content and direction is clearly evident. “The letters of writers 

are an important source of information about their personality and creativity, the time and 

environment in which they lived, and the people with whom they communicated. At the same time, 

the letters of writers are a unique type of artistic creation, close to fiction, changing its form in 

accordance with the demands of literary development” (Akhmedova Sh., 2008.64). In addition to this 

idea, it can be said that writers' letters should be classified according to who and in what context they 

were written, their manner, and their content. 

MAIN PART 

The great Uzbek poet Alisher Navoi paid great attention to the letter, considering it one of the most 

important means of communication between people. Navoi figuratively described the letter as "a ray 

of light in the darkness, a sign of life. "This genre reached a new stage of development, especially in 

the work of Alisher Navoi. The great Navoi also used the letter as a form. His poetic letter to Sayid 

Hasan Ardasher is written in the form of a masnavi. The love letters of Farhod to Shirin and Shirin to 

Farhod in "Farhod and Shirin" are beautiful examples of this genre. The letters of the heroes of the 

work are written by the Russian poet A.S. Pushkin also found in his works. For example, a letter to 

Tatyana in "Eugene Onegin", Tatyana's Onegin's letter can serve as an example of our opinion. The 

prose letters (Munshaot) written by the great poet Alisher Navoi to various contemporaries while 

living in Samarkand, Astrobad, and other cities are also very important as historical documents that 

truthfully reflect the mood of the great writer in various situations. In other words, “Navoi’s unique 

realism was first manifested in these letters” (Ganieva S., 1977, 4).  

The letters in the work are extremely valuable in terms of content. Most of them are artistic depictions 

of Navoi’s life, creative and socio-political activities. State affairs in a series of letters and the image 

of a statesman burning his soul for the peace of the country is shown if so, some letters reflect the 

creative process of the poet; a series of letters if it is an important document related to state 

administration, the other ones are congratulations and condolences are names in the content. Arabic 

"letter", "ruq'a", "khat", Arabic-Persian of A. Navoi correspondence uses the terms "arzadosht", 

Persian "nishan", "noma" and Turkish "bitik". The style of expression of the letters in "Munshut" is 

also different. Some letters are written in a short, simple, and fluent style, with a clear content, while 

others, although the author's purpose is clear, are written in a very artistic and stilted style. The 

beautiful word is also adorned with phrases. “A letter, the whiteness of its pages is a balm for the 

wounded heart, and a letter, the blackness of its writing is a light that illuminates the pale eyes, has 

come to you as if you had honored this poor man of the pain of migration, the wanderer of the steppe 

of separation, with this letter” (Navoi A., 2001, 65). This example alone can show the personality of 

Alisher Navoi, who considered writing to be important in life and creativity, as a cultured, highly 

educated, thoughtful poet who cared about people. If we pay attention to the letters of the great 

Russian poet A.S. Pushkin, although he wrote more than 800 letters in full and in manuscript form, 

he admits in a letter to N.I. Krivtsov in early August 1819 that he did not like writing letters: “I do 

not like writing letters. Language and voice are not enough for our thoughts - and the pen is too blunt, 

too slow - writing cannot replace conversation” (Pushkin A., 1987, 10). In Russian and Western 

European literature, the writer's letter has become more and more perfect in terms of form. The letter 

is widely used in Russian classical literature. This is the highlight of the genre examples of which are 

evident in the works of Russian writers such as Pushkin and Turgeneev possible A.S. Pushkin's letters 



 

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to his friends and fans are two consists of vol. One of A.S. Pushkin's contemporaries, the famous 

Russian critic P.V. Annenkov, emphasized that the great poet's letters are not only valuable literary 

evidence, but also reflect the poet's image. “Another valuable aspect of this letter is that it paints a 

spiritual, beautiful image of Pushkin” (Pushkin A., 1987, 11). The letters of Alisher Navoi also vividly 

reflect the personality, spiritual world, sorrows and worries, joys, creative successes, dreams about 

the fate of the people, and his attitude towards his friends. “These letters, full of noble feelings and 

thoughts, give a vivid idea of Navoi’s human face, especially his love for people and loyalty to 

friends” (Ganieva C., 1981, 186). In these letters, Navoi is portrayed as a child, longing to meet with 

friends and filled with a sense of longing for his homeland and people, while living far from his 

homeland. “In this invaluable source for discussing Pushkin,” writes another researcher in this book, 

“Pushkin is embodied in all his facets: Pushkin is a poet and writer, Pushkin is a literary critic, Pushkin 

is a politician, Pushkin is a responsive, loyal friend, Pushkin is a devoted husband and father, Pushkin 

is a loyal and caring brother. Pushkin is a wise and innocent fool. Pushkin in the circle of officials 

and representatives of the upper class” (Pushkin A., 1987, 4). Indeed, if we read the two-volume 

collection of Pushkin's letters, we can fully agree with this opinion. At the same time, these letters 

clearly reveal the spiritual portrait of the poet. Alisher Navoi's letters are not very numerous in terms 

of volume. "Munshaot" contains 103 letters, most of which can be identified by their content. 

Pushkin's letters, on the other hand, have a clear addressee. In addition, there are many letters written 

by Pushkin to creative people, which mostly reflect the poet's literary and critical views related to 

artistic creativity, the creation of his works, and the literary process. For example, letters to Turgenev, 

Gnedich, Vyazemsky, Bestuzhev, Wolf and many other creative people confirm our opinion. For 

example, from a letter to Gnedich: “You see, paternal love for "The Prisoner of the Caucasus" does 

not blind my eyes, but I admit that I love it, for some reason; it contains poems from my heart. My 

Circassian daughter is dear to me, her love makes my heart tremble. Of course, it would be better to 

call the poem Circassian - I had not thought of it... Circassians, their customs and morals occupy the 

largest and best part of my story..." (https://ru.wikiquote.org/wiki). There are very few letters of a 

literary-critical nature in Alisher Navoi's work. For example, Navoi seems to have sent his own poems 

in his letters to Husayn Boykara: "The ghazals that were ready were sent. The one who has finished 

the composition will be sent to the one who is going to the end." Another letter reveals the great poet's 

state of mind when he composed "Khazayinul-maoni" and the time he was engaged in this work. 

From the rubaiyats cited at the beginning of the letter and the line at the end, it can be determined that 

it was written to Husayn Baykara. Navoi thinks that he divided his poetry into four divans based on 

the fact that there are four seasons in life, as in nature, and gave them names. In a letter, explaining 

the title of the divan, he writes: ...In addition, the whole, the composition, is bound up, because the 

meaning that is formed from the nature of the universe is the meaning - it was nicknamed 

"Khazayinul-maoni" (Navoi A., 2001, 188) At the end of the letter, Navoi notes that he sent 

"Khazoyinulmaoni" to Huseyn Baykara, to his "Oliy Majlisi" through Mawlana Sahib (Daro) (Navoi 

A., 2001, 188). In these letters, the great poet also discusses the most important social issues of his 

time, while at the same time showing himself as a great and enlightened person who loves his 

homeland and lives with concern for the future of his people. The French thinker J. Buffon wrote that 

“you can tell what a person is like by his style.”  

The Russian writer D. Zhukovsky translated it differently: “Style is a person.” In this sense, when we 

observe the letters of Alisher Navoi, his noble heart is visible in every letter and in his style. The 

sophistication and grandeur inherent in Eastern manners, along with extreme simplicity, humanity, 

respect for elders, and boundless respect and love for friends and relatives, define the main motifs of 

Navoi's letters. Another characteristic of Navoi's letters is that he expresses his thoughts not in the 

form of strict orders, but in a gentle and advisory manner that is pleasing to the heart. These letters 

have significant literary and social significance as they truthfully express the personality, spiritual 

world, or in other words, the spiritual portrait of the great poet. At the same time, the combined use 

of weighty prose and poetic prose in the letters reflects the height of the poet's feelings, his "means 

of expressing his intellectual and emotional world," giving these letters charm and high artistic 

quality. Many of Navoi's letters begin with the words "kulluk" (i.e. I bow down), and the end serves 

as an example of high respect: "Kulluq du'adin arzadasht ulkim", and the end: "May your rule be 



 

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smooth in the quarter and may your justice be safe for the people of the quarter. Amen, O Lord of the 

worlds." It is evident that Eastern culture and thought dominate Navoi's letters. These letters are of 

interest to the reader not only as documents about the creative personality and the secrets of magical 

artistic creation, but also as a source of attention for the beauty of style and form. It is also noteworthy 

for its beauty of style and form. 

If we compare these letters with the letters of the Russian poet Pushkin, their similarities (clarity of 

purpose in writing a letter), but also their differences, become clear. For example, in most of Pushkin's 

letters, consisting of 2 volumes, the object is clearly indicated, brevity is noticeable,but at the same 

time, they do not show much artistic expression. For example, both of his letters to P.A. Vyazemsky 

begin with direct information and end with an explanation of the essence (Pushkin A., 1987, 280). 

Sometimes the letters show a strong sense of sharpness and criticism. True, some letters "my friend",It 

begins with addresses like "my dear friend" (Pushkin A., 1987, 416). Some letters "our dear 

grandfather Afanasy Nikolaevich" - "Milostivyy gosudar dedushka Athanasius Nikolaevich", 

"Milostivyy gosudar Alexander Khristoforovich", as well as has addresses expressing respect.  

The central character in the letters is the writer himself. His inner spiritual world, feelings, and 

thoughts are reflected in the artistically expressed letters. A. Mukhtor's comments on Einstein's 

personal letters are significant (Mukhtor A., 1987, 59). Indeed, if you look at the lives and works of 

great personalities, you will see that letters played an important role in their work. The letters of 

Alisher Navoi and A.S. Pushkin are a vivid proof of our opinion. At the beginning of the 20th century, 

letters, like other forms of literary criticism, were critical and, as an important and unique form of 

criticism, were able to contribute to a certain extent to the development of critical thinking. In recent 

times, S. Ainiy, A. Kadiriy, G. Ghulom, A. Kahhor, Oybek and other writers and critics have played 

an important role in the development of the letter genre. During these years, both short and long letter 

forms emerged: along with short letters expressing a person's personal attitude, which are often found 

in the pages of the press, open letters, appeals, and complete examples of the writer's letter of an 

artistic and journalistic nature. The letter is widely used in Russian classical literature. We stopped 

above A number of works of A.S. Pushkin were written in this form. Also his friends, His letters to 

his fans are two-fold. Or Turgenev, Tolstoy, Chekhov's correspondence with friends, relatives, 

acquaintances, brothers and sisters, 24 Theory of Literature 2 (2024) people close to their hearts, each 

of which contains a complex spiritual world, high knowledge, rebellions of the heart, beautiful 

virtues, delicate relationships, anger and love, the miracle of words .From this point of view, it is 

clear that letters have a certain place in human life, literature, and literary criticism.  

The people's poet of Uzbekistan, G. Gulom, has more than 70 letters, 40 of which are included in the 

10th volume of the poet's ten-volume collection of works. The contents of these letters classified into 

6 groups (Akhmedova Sh., 2008, 84). The important thing is that They show the great heart of a 

scholar, humanitarian, generous and kind person being written on the pages of history as lines from 

the poet's pen maybe the rest In a series of letters, a clever and insightful literary critic of literature 

the image of a passionate critic who cares about his height is prominent. One of these letters was 

written in response to some comments in the article "Natural as Breath, True Word" by literary critic 

V. Mirzaev, published in the newspaper, and touched upon important issues of literature. It shows the 

constancy of his views and great love for literature and its people. Especially noteworthy are G. 

Ghulam's conclusions about the immortality of literature and the indestructibility of poetry. 

CONCLUSION 

In the literary letter, as in all genres of criticism the talent of the critic is crucial because he sees the 

beauty in the work,he should be able to feel the intellectual and artistic wealth, only then the 

achievement of the work and can point out his shortcomings objectively and correctly . In any national 

literature, it is evident that poets and writers were not indifferent to the literary process and strived to 

improve literature. Some literary letters in Uzbek (Alisher Navoi, G. Ghulom, A. Kahhor) and 

Russian (Pushkin, Gumilyov, Bryusov) literature lead to this conclusion. In conclusion, the writer's 

letters are the most reliable source for studying his biography, as they contain information about the 

creative process. Important information about the works that have taken root in the hearts of the 

people, their creation, and their characters can also be learned from the writer's letters. So, letters have 



 

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a certain place in human life, literature, and literary criticism has, therefore, the study of letters of 

writers is important in literary studies remains one of the problems. 

REFERENCES 

1. Alisher Navoi. (1998) MAT. Munshaot. Tashkent. 

2. Alisher Navoi. (2001) Munshaat. Tashkent. "Spirituality". Prepared for publication by 

Yu.Tursunov. 

3. Abdullah Qahhor. (1968) Conversation with young people. Tashkent. "Young Guard" 

4. Akhmedova Sh. (2008) Letters and literary criticism. Tashkent. "Science" 

5. Akhmedova Sh.N. (2020) Correspondence and literary criticism. Germany. Glebe Edit. 

6. Valikhojhaev B. (1978) From the history of Uzbek poetry. Tashkent. 

7. Gumilyov N.S. (1990) A letter about Russian poetry. Moscow. "Sovremennik" 

8. Collection. (1987) Pushkin`s life as told by himself and his contemporarires .Moscow. "Pravda". 

T.2. 

9. Sultan Izzat. (1978) Navoi's heart notebook. Tashkent. 

10. Pushkin A.S. (1987) Letters. Moscow. Volume 1. 

11. Russian-Uzbek dictionary. (1984) In 2 volumes ." Tashkent. P. 65. 

12. Sharafiddinov O. Lover of literature. In the book: Interview with youth. 1987. 

13. Gulam Gafur. (1978) Selected works. 10 roofs. 10th floor. Tashkent. GASN. 

14. Ganieva S. (1977) Munshaot. In the book: History of Uzbek literature. Five volumes. 2 volumes. 

Tashkent. 

15. Ganieva S. (1981) Prose and art. In the book: Lessons of creativity and innovation. 

Tashkent."Science". 

16. https://ru.wikiquote.org/wiki