A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PIRIMQUL QODIROV’S “YULDUZLI TUNLAR” AND IAN MCEWAN’S “ATONEMENT”: THE INTERPLAY OF HISTORY, MEMORY, AND MORAL RESPONSIBILITY

Abstract

This paper explores the thematic and stylistic parallels between Pirimqul Qodirov’s Yulduzli Tunlar (Starry Nights, 1978) and Ian McEwan’s Atonement (2001), two seminal works representing Uzbek and British post-war literature. Though written in different cultural and political contexts, both novels examine the moral consequences of human actions, the distortion of truth, and the tension between individual conscience and historical reality. Using a comparative literary approach supported by principles from contrastive linguistics and translation studies, this research investigates how both authors construct memory and guilt within their respective national identities. The study reveals that while Qodirov uses historical fiction to preserve national heritage and promote moral ideals, McEwan employs psychological realism and postmodern narrative techniques to question the reliability of perception and narrative truth. Despite stylistic and cultural divergences, both writers emphasize the redemptive potential of love, sacrifice, and truth-seeking.