Kurbanali Magrupi
Magrupi, Kurbanali
Dates of birth and death unknown. Turkmen author of the 18th century.
Magrupi was a member of the Magrupi clan (hence his literary name). He lived in Khiva and Urgench, where he received his education. He was a member of the military aristocracy.
Magrupi’s best work is the heroic novella Iusup and Akhmed, which became widely known in Central Asia. It incorporated much from the history and epos of the Turkic Ghuzz (Oghuz) tribes. His Alybek and Balybek, a poetic dastan, is an original continuation of the cycle begun with this novella. In the dastan Tulum Hodzha, Magrupi depicts the intrigues at the court of Khan Tokhtamysh (died 1406). The hero of Dovlet”iar, another dastan, is a historical figure. Magrupi’s work influenced the development of Turkmen literature, especially the genre of the dastan.