A publication by the Representation Office of the Organization of Turkic States in Hungary, entitled Hungarian Hommage to Aitmatov (Айтматовго Мажарстандын урмат-сыйы|Дань Уважения Венгрии Айтматову) and dedicated to the 93rd birthday of Chyngyz Aitmatov (December 12, 1928) – the world-famous Kyrgyz writer – was published and presented to the Kyrgyzstani public in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on November 10, 2021.
Prominent Kyrgyz scholars, the representatives of academia, education, art, culture and Kyrgyz public life were invited to the presentation, including the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education of Kyrgyzstan. The event was covered by state and private media in Kyrgyz and Russian languages, and was organized in cooperation with the Embassy of Hungary in Kyrgyzstan, as well as the local Publishing House “Uluu Toolor” on the premises of the Kyrgyz National Library – in its Kyrgyz–Turkish Cultural Center, named after Chyngyz Aitmatov.
H.E. Sándor Dorogi, the first Ambassador of Hungary to Bishkek, delivered an opening speech, noting that it is thanks to the works of Aitmatov that Hungarians could first glimpse into the everyday lives of the people of Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia. H.E. Askar Aitmatov – a former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan and currently the President of the Public Association ”Issyk Kul Forum of Aitmatov,” the son of Chyngyz Aitmatov, delivered a commemoration speech and shared his memories of how his father warmly recalled his encounters with Hungary and her people.
Speeches were also made by Dr. Dávid Somfai Kara, a Hungarian Turkologist who has translated two works of the writer directly from Kyrgyz into Hungarian and who has also acted as the interpreter for the writer during his last visit to Budapest in 2006. The editor of the publication from the Publishing House „Uluu Toolor,” Pamirbek Kazybaev, a specialist in Kyrgyz literature and also a recipient of the medal Pro Cultura Hungarica, spoke about the Hungarian–Kyrgyz cooperation in the sphere of culture and literature to date. He also thanked the Representation Office of the Organization of Turkic States in Hungary and personally its Executive Director Dr. János Hóvári for the initiative to issue such an invaluable publication filled with warmth and compassion for the nation of Chyngyz Aitmatov.
The publication consists of five articles and one interview, covering different aspects of Chyngyz Aitmatov’s influence, the cultural and the literary legacy he has left behind. Photos illustrating the writer’s visit to Hungary, as well as other visual aids, such as the graphic design of books with the translations of Aitmatov’s works into Hungarian have also been included in the publication. The contributions from the Hungarian side cover the following:
1) The article entitled “…every achievement is ultimately measured by culture and spirituality” written by Dr. János Hóvári, the Executive Director of the Representation Office of the Organization of Turkic States in Hungary reflects on Aitmatov’s contributions to the diplomatic relations of the post-Soviet and independent Kyrgyzstan.
2) The article entitled “Aitmatov’s coordinates” written by Prof. Zoltán Jánosi, Hungarian historian of literature, the editor-in-chief of the journal “Hungarian Diary”, analyzes how Aitmatov’s works, despite representing a small nation with a small language, carry a universal message utilizing folk traditions and attributes.
3) The interview entitled “I fell in the war but won,” conducted by Mrs. Iancu Laura with the prominent Hungarian Turkologist and ethnologist Dr. Dávid Somfai Kara, reflects on his thoughts about Aitmatov and the Kyrgyz people, based on his personal interaction with the writer and through translating his works from Kyrgyz into Hungarian, as well as through experiencing the customs and traditions of the Kyrgyz people.
The contributions from the Kyrgyz side include the following authors:
1) Eldar Aitmatov, the youngest son of the writer and the Director of the Chyngyz Aitmatov House-Museum in Bishkek who reflected on the legacy of Chyngyz Aitmatov.
2) Syrtbaj Musaev – Chairman of the Language Commission under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic – addresses Chyngyz Aitmatov’s impact in promoting Kyrgyz as the national state language of modern Kyrgyzstan.
3) Sultan Raev, the Kyrgyz Deputy Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States deals with Aitmatov’s place as the writer of the Turkic world and his role in strengthening Kyrgyz–Hungarian relations.
