On April 27, the National Library of the Chuvash Republic hosted the presentation of the book “Yltan Chechek” (“Ылтӑн чечек”) – collection of the greatest Chinese poets of the Middle Ages (VIIIth century) Li Bai and Du Fu translated by the Chuvash folk poet Valeri Turgay.
The people’s poet was congratulated by the acting Minister of Culture, Ethnic Affairs and Archiving of the Chuvash Republic Vyacheslav Orinov, acting rector of the Chuvash State Pedagogical University named after I. Y. Yakovlev Vladimir Ivanov, vice-president of the Chuvash National Congress Petr Ivantayev, film director Leonid Trifonov, people’s artist Valentina Trifonova, famous philanthropist, businessman Valeri Gordeyev, poets and writers – Raissa Sarbi, Aristarkh Dmitriyev, Valeri Koshkin and others.
The literary critic Vitali Stanyal, whom Valeri Turgay considers to be his teacher, noted that the poet enriched the Chuvash poetry with the world culture, “and opened a new way for new relationships with the country of our ancient community – with Great China”. He stressed out that from the poetry of Ancient China into the Chuvash poetry passed genres which were reflected even in the poem “Narspi” by K. V. Ivanov. In addition, the Chuvash wedding and choral poems are adequate to the Chinese verses “tsi” and have many similarities with the genre “shi”.
The speakers highly appreciated the quality of translation, the proximity of the poetic world to the worldview of the Chinese working people.
Valeri Turgay’s book is a step to a new stage in the development of friendly ties between the People’s Republic of China and the Chuvash Republic. The participants of the presentation hopefully noted that the common age-old roots of the two peoples would give new sprouts of cultural and economic victories.
The event was accompanied by the anthem of the Chinese People’s Republic and the song “Katyusha” performed in the Chinese language. Particular attention of the audience was paid to the poems by Li Bai and Du Fu read by a student of the Chuvash State Pedagogical University Anastasia Vishnevskaya in the Chinese language.
Written by Olga Timofeyeva, tel. 23-02-17, ext. 144