A creative meeting with Nobel laureate Mo Yan was held at KazNU

A creative meeting with the Nobel Prize winner in Literature, the world-famous Chinese writer Mo Yan, was held at the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. The event was attended by representatives of the country's literary and scientific intelligentsia, as well as teachers and students.

The meeting was moderated by the Chairman of the Board of the Union of Writers of Kazakhstan, Mereke Kulkenov, who shared interesting facts about the life and work of the guest of honor: "The writer's real name is Guan Mo. As a child, he was very talkative. Later, based on his mother's constant warnings to "keep quiet," he chose the symbolic literary pseudonym "Mo Yan," which means "keep silent" in Chinese",- said Kulkenov.

At the meeting, a member of the Board, Vice-Rector for Social Development of KazNU, Bakytzhan Omarov, also spoke, emphasizing the guest's significant role in world literature. He noted that Mo Yan is the author of well-known novels such as "Red Gaoling," "The Hour of Joy," and "The Nuan Girl," and serves as the Deputy Chairman of the Chinese Writers' Association. In 2012, the writer was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, with the citation "for his hallucinatory realism that combines folk tales with history and the present". In his speech, the Vice-Rector also emphasized the dynamic development of cultural and scientific-educational ties between KazNU and China.

During the creative dialogue, Mo Yan shared his writing experience. According to him, travel is the main source of inspiration for him. The writer has made it a tradition to visit historical sites associated with the classics of world literature. He has visited Shakespeare's homeland in the United Kingdom, the Cervantes Museum in Spain, and in Russia, he won the international Tolstoy Prize and gained a deeper understanding of Fyodor Dostoevsky's work through theatrical performances.

In addition, the Chinese prose writer highlighted the work of the great Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov, noting that his method of artistic interpretation of folk legends resonates with his own writing style. Mo Yan also emphasized the importance of artistic details in the text, describing them as a key tool that allows the reader to delve deeper into the world of the work.

The event featured a presentation of two works by the Nobel Prize-winning author, which have been translated into Kazakh: the novel "Garlic Ballads" and the book "How Are You, Old Faulkner?"

At the end of the meeting, which was held in the format of an open dialogue, the participants were able to ask the writer questions that concerned them. The event ended with an autograph session for the readers.

Press-service of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University