"Oedipus" Tragedy by B. K. Utizhev: Problem of Authorship
The comparative analysis of the tragedy by the famous Kabardian playwright B. K. Utizhev “Oedipus” with the works by Sophocles, Seneca and Cocteau also applied to the Ancient Greek myth about king Oedipus is presented. The need for this study is dictated by the fact that the tragedy by B. K. Utizhev were often presented by critics not as an independent work of the author, but as the translation of Greek myth in the Kabardian language. It is indicated that during his life the author himself wrote an article in which he argued that the tragedy is not a transferable product, but is created based on the Greek myth as an original work. The playwright expressed the hope that the Kabardian theatre or literature critics by the comparative analysis of the plays of B. K. Utizhev with the works of other authors, based on the myth of king Oedipus, will see and prove the originality of his “Oedipus”. In the result of comparative analysis the author of this article concludes that the construction of the plot of the play, the text cannot be borrowed from other authors. It is proved that the play, which is based on the motive of a famous myth, is an independent creature of the Kabardian playwright B. K. Utizhev.