Abstract
The article is dedicated to a culturological analysis of the cultural image of the city of Semey in Kazakh literature and journalism of the early 20th century. The works of Zhusipbek Aimauytov, Mirzhakyp Dulatov, Sultanmahmut Toraigyrov, and Mukhtar Auezov are examined as the objects of the research. The paper explores the period of transition of Kazakh society from nomadic culture to urban modernization, as well as the city of Semey as a semiotic-poetical image. In this context, the aspects of "cultural text" and "cultural space" hold a special place. Through the urban image in the authors' works, the process of the formation of the national intelligentsia, cultural transformation, and issues of spiritual revival are analyzed. The results of the study allow for a culturological justification of the status of Semey as an intellectual and symbolic center in Kazakh culture.