The artistic interpretation and display of the heroic Nart epos as one of the precious treasures and greatest achievements of the Ossetian people was in the focus of many national representatives of the creative intelligentsia (writers N. Dzhusoity, M. Bukaty, G. Pliyev, composers I. Gabaraev, L. Efimova, artists A. Canan, A. Hohi, U. Kanukov, E. Booth, etc.). A special role in the creative exploration of the rich world of the epic Nart tales belongs to the artist Makharbek Tuganov. He was one of the first who applied visual interpretation of the texts of the national epic. His illustrations to the Nart legends are recognized as an outstanding phenomenon of the national culture and rightly belong to the Treasury of Narts’ studies. Power of artistic expression, the depth of philosophical understanding of folklore material make his works on a par with the best works of Russian and Soviet artists who worked in this area. The reviewed source is the Russian translation of the article by M. Tuganov, which was first published in the journal "Max Doug" in the Ossetian language in 1949 and was a response to a prose collection of "The Ossetian Narts’ Sagas" (1948), published with illustrations of the artist. The document carries information about the main stages of the formation of M.Tuganova as an illustrator of the epos, about the little-known facts of the biography, which had an important influence on the shaping of his artistic vision, of the artist's creative method. The source is also of interest as it gives an idea on the peculiarity of the historical era, about the government's attitude to traditional culture, the use of the wealth of folklore in the achievement of socially significant purposes and the involvement of the intellectuals. The document is a typescript 10 pages long and is published unabridged.

Keywords: Maharbek Tuganov, artistic, oral literature, Nart epos, legends, visual interpretation of text, illustrations.

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