Abstract
The article examines character transformation and the artistic nature of simulacrum-characters in contemporary Kazakh prose. The study analyzes the transition from the traditional realist model of character to postmodern complex and fragmented images, identifying the historical and cultural factors behind this process. The theoretical foundations of the simulacrum-character concept are explored through structuralist, poststructuralist, and postmodern approaches. Based on the works of Kazakh writers A. Altai, A. Kemelbayeva, and D. Zhylkybay, the article focuses on the artistic features and semantic functions of magical realist, mythological, and technogenic characters, including Qonyrqaz, Besarys (Centaur), and Abyl Robot. The study demonstrates that simulacrum-characters reflect the spiritual condition of Kazakh society, as well as the crisis and renewal of national identity during the decolonization period. Through such images, changes in the concept of literary reality, new forms of interaction between author and character, and stronger intertextual connections become evident. Simulacrum-characters are interpreted as artistic representations of shifting values and changing identity in contemporary society. Their instability, ambiguity, and blurred boundaries between reality and imagination reveal key aesthetic tendencies in modern Kazakh prose. The article concludes that simulacrum-characters contribute to the artistic development of contemporary Kazakh literature and strengthen its connection with global literary processes.