This article analyzes the theoretical interpretations, historical formation, and genre-specific features of the qissa (novella) in Uzbek literary studies. The semantic commonality of the terms qissa and povest, as well as scholarly views on interpreting them as separate genres, are critically evaluated. Drawing on examples from twentieth-century Uzbek qissachilik and the period of independence, the article examines the genre’s evolution, the interplay between realism and modern artistic explorations, and substantiates the role of the qissa in the contemporary literary process.

Qissa (novella), povest, genre evolution

Mirvaliev, S. The Uzbek Novel. Tashkent: Fan, 1969, p. 277; Abrorov, A. The Uzbek Povest. Tashkent: Fan, 1978, p. 88; Qo‘bayev, Q. “Povest and Qissa.” Language and Literature Education, 2005, No. 3, pp. 61-64.

Hotamov, N., Sarimsoqov, B. Russian–Uzbek Explanatory Dictionary of Literary Terms. Tashkent: O‘qituvchi, 1983, pp. 169-170.

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