The Transcultural Space in I.A. Odegov’s Novella The Winged Bride of Mahdi

Abstract

The article examines the transcultural space of I.A. Odegov’s novella The Winged Bride of Mahdi as a representative example of Kazakhstan’s Russian-language literature. Drawing on contemporary theories of transculturality (W. Welsch, H. Bhabha, U.M. Bakhtikireeva, E.F. Shafranskaya, and others), the study interprets the novella as an artistic model in which various cultural codes, forms of collective memory, and elements of local Kazakh tradition interact. The analysis highlights the convergence of urban and steppe cultures, the coexistence of traditional and modern worldviews, and the role of the mediator-observer situated at the cultural boundary. Special attention is paid to linguistic hybridity, cultural archetypes, the chronotope, and narrative images shaping the transcultural artistic reality. The study demonstrates that Odegov’s novella functions as a space of cultural hybridization and dialogue, reflecting the distinctive nature of Kazakhstan’s contemporary literary process.