Brussels hosts evening honoring world-famous Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov
On Tuesday, the embassies of Russia and Kyrgyzstan in Brussels held an evening dedicated to the life and oeuvre of Chingiz Aitmatov, outstanding Soviet and Kyrgyz writer and diplomat, Kazinform News Agency reports.
The event was organized ahead of the writer’s 96th anniversary. A photo exposition was opened in the building of the Russian Cultural Centre in Brussels, and The Early Cranes film was screened. The film is based on Aitmatov’s novel of the same name and features a story of 14-year-old boy Sultanmurat and his friends living in a small Kyrgyz village.
Addressing the participants, Ambassador of Russia Alexander Tokovinin told the Belgian public about the life and works of the writer of Central Asia and Turkic world.
According to the Russian diplomat, Chingiz Aitmatov gained worldwide fame after his novel Jamilia, written in 1958, was translated into the French language by French poet Louis Aragon. In 1963, the writer was awarded the Lenin Prize for his literary and public activity.
Chingiz Aitmatov was the only diplomat in global diplomacy who served as the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to three countries: he was the last USSR ambassador and the ambassador of the Russian Federation to Luxembourg, the first non-resident Kyrgyz ambassador to four countries of the EU - France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.
Ambassador of Kyrgyzstan Aidit Erkin said that Chingiz Aitmatov’s life was also connected with Kazakhstan. He spoke about the life and creative links between the Kazakh writer Mukhtar Auezov and Chingiz Aitmatov, as well as the fact that the Kyrgyz writer had a lot in common with Kazakhstan.
At the end of the event, the guests were offered to taste national cuisine of Kyrgyzstan and Russia.
