Mend Ooyo Gombojav

Career

He started his career in 1970, as an elementary school teacher in the border village of Zamiin Uud, Dornogovi aimag, in the far south east of Mongolia. For ten years, from 1978, he was the editor-in-chief for the arts and cultural programmes on Mongolian State radio and television, In 1988 he became a professional writer with the Mongolian Writer's Union.

After the 1990 Democratic Revolution in Mongolia, Mend-Ooyo became the Chief Project Lead and driving force behind the reconstruction of the Migjid Janraisig complex at Gandantegchinlen Monastery in Ulaanbaatar. At that time he was also a member of the Mongolian National Committee of UNESCO, and, successively, executive director, vice-president and president of the Mongolian Cultural Foundation. From 1998-2000 he sat as Chairman of the governmental Culture and Arts Agency.

In 2002 he became Life member of the World Academy of Arts and Culture. In 2004 he joined the board of the Mongolian Art Council. In 2005 he founded the Mongolian culture, literature and poetry magazine GUNU, for which he also acted as the editor-in-chief. In that same year he became president of the Mongolian Academy of Culture and Poetry.

In 1996, Mend-Ooyo earned a Master's degree at the University of Arts and Culture in Mongolia. In 2002, he was granted a Doctorate of Literature by the World Academy of Arts and Culture. In 2008, he became professor of Arts and Culture at the Institute of International Studies of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences.

Poetry

Mend-Ooyo started writing poems at the age of thirteen. In an interview for the WSJ he explains he became interested in writing, thanks in part to Dorjiin Gombojav. D.Gombojav was a controversial poet and translator who had alienated officials in Ulaanbaatar. He was sent, as punishment, to teach at the remote rural school Mend-Ooyo attended. Mend-Ooyo related to the interviewer that he wrote his first lines of poetry under D.Gombojav’s guidance. "He taught me the importance of Mongolian language and our traditions," he says.

In the late 1970s, he was one of the founder members of the underground literary group GAL (Fire). Mend-Ooyo explained that at the time, communist censors wouldn’t let groups meet. "They were always watching us, so we had to be very careful and meet in people's homes at night." The GAL group, active in the late 1970s and early 1980s, included mainly Mend-Ooyo, Ochirbatyn Dashbalbar and D.Nyamsüren. Though GAL was "organised around the so-called Dariganga Three", others were at times involved as well. According to Simon Wickham-Smith, they "came to dominate the poetry scene during the subsequent ten or fifteen years, and their work is vital for a proper understanding of recent literary history in Mongolia."

GAL transformed during the 1980s into an "independent flow of literary writing called GUNU", whose writers "nowadays exercise(s) the greatest influence on Mongolian literature."

In the 1980s, Mend-Ooyo was allowed to publish some of his poetry after it was vetted by officials. Later, in 1988, Mend-Ooyo became a member of the Mongolian Writers' Union.

In 1980, he published his first book of poetry, The Bird of Thought. Many were to follow. After the 1990 Democratic Revolution in Mongolia and the end of single-party communist rule, he started to publish more of his work, "including the writing that espoused his pastoral roots and eventually became his best-known poems." Since his first book, he has published over twenty other books of poetry, and over a dozen novels and children's books.

Altan Ovoo (Golden Hill) is an ongoing work of poetic fiction that has become one of the most influential pieces of contemporary Mongolian literature. First published in 1993, its fifth edition was published in 2010. Altan Ovoo has been translated into English by Simon Wickham-Smith in 2007. According to Wickham-Smith, Mend-Ooyo has referred to this book as his most important work. Mend-Ooyo constantly rearranges and edits "the elements of the narrative, to such an extent that it seems sometimes to be more an experimental novel (à la B.S. Johnson perhaps) than a work by a romantic and deeply traditional Central Asian writer," explains Wickham-Smith.

Altan Ovoo has been the focus of Simon Wickham-Smith's Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Washington. He explains that "Mend-Ooyo's poetic novel Altan Ovoo offers a vision of nomadic literature based as much on the history and worldview of Mongol nomadic herders as on the late twentieth century Mongolia, poised between Soviet-influenced socialism and Euro-American democratic capitalism, in which it was written." In his dissertation, Wickham-Smith presents "Altan Ovoo as a prism through which the ideas on which nomadic culture is based can be shown as being central to the self-image of Mongolia's people, both in relation to the past and to the future."

Gegeenten (The Holy One), published in 2012, is a modern example of the traditional Mongolian genre of namtar, non-canonical biographies of Buddhist saints intended to be read by common people. Mend-Ooyo explains that Gegeenten tells the story of the Noton Hutagt Dulduityn Danzanravjaa. It tells "of his realisation of, and how he expressed, the secret wisdom in the teaching and practise of the historical Buddha and his descendents." The story, according to the writer, "also reveals how Danzanravjaa's life speaks to Mongol intellectual culture and the nomadic tradition of the Gobi area in which he lived, and how this tradition is an expression of the land and the environment in which he lived." According to Maria Petrova, Gegeenten "can be called the first prose work, where the image of the great Gobi Noenkhutukhta (sic) and poet D.Ravzhi (sic) found artistic expression."

In addition to his poetry and his novels, Mend-Ooyo has also written over half a dozen research books, with topics ranging from Old Mongol script to poetry critiques, Dariganga folklore and consumer culture amongst the Mongolian nomads.

Mend-Ooyo's work has been translated into over thirty languages, including English, Japanese, Hungarian, Russian, Chinese, Dutch, German and French.

Mend-Ooyo writes his poetry by hand. He tried to write his poetry on the computer. He says of this experience: "It was amazing how easy and peaceful it was to erase what I had written, to begin again, to change words and to rearrange them, and to adjust the rhythm of a poem. When I had finished my poem, I printed it out. I read it. The spirit with which I had been born was missing, there was no mental engagement in it." And: "I understood that my manuscript was the soul of my poem, the source of its spiritual power. A writer's manuscript is the calligraphy which shows the unrepeatable beating of their heart, the pathway through their warm life."

Awards

Mend-Ooyo has been awarded many prizes from literary organizations around the world. Most notably, he has been named Distinguished cultural figure of Mongolia, by decree of the President of Mongolia in 1996; received the Award of the Mongolian Writers' Union in 1999; and was named Best Man of the Year 2001, and honoured as one of the nine most renowned people in Mongolia. In 2001, Mend-Ooyo was awarded the Altan Ud (Golden Feather) award, Mongolia's Writer of the Year. In 2006, the year of the 800th Anniversary of Great Mongolian Empire, Mend-Ooyo was awarded the Anniversary medal by the President of Mongolia. In 2012, Mend-Ooyo once again received the Altan Ud award, for his book Gegeenten.

He received many international award and accolades, from China to England, Greece and Korea, India, Japan and the USA. In 2005, he received the Medallion of the President award of the World Academy of Arts and Culture "for poetic excellence". In that same year, he won First prize in the poetry contest of the XXV World Congress of Poets. 2006 saw him receiving a string of awards from Greece, Korean and India, in addition to the Golden Gavel Award of the World Academy of Arts and Culture, and the Golden Medal of the Literary Academy of World Peace. 2008 was also a rewarding year for Mend-Ooyo, with awards from the Crane Summit 21st Century International (Poetry) Forum and the Soka Gakkai University. In 2009, Mend-Ooyo was named Poet Laureate (with Golden Crown), the highest poetry award of the World Congress of Poets. In 2014, he was awarded the Grand Prize of the Mihai Eminescu International Festival in Craiova, Romania.

Poetry and cultural events

Mend-Ooyo has organized a number of poetry and cultural events in Mongolia. Most notably, he organized the XXVI World Congress of Poets in Mongolia, held in 2006.

He participated in many poetry events around the world, such as the 12th Festival of World Youth and Students, Moscow, Russia in 1985; the Asian-African Young Writers Forum, New Delhi in 1987; the World Bank Conference Cultural Heritage, Florence, Italy in 1999; the Japanese-Mongolian Forum, Tokyo in 1999; the International Poetry Festival, Tokyo, Japan in 2000; the 21st, 22nd, 25th, 28th and 29th World Congress of Poets in 2001, 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009; the Crane Summit 21st Century International Poetry and Culture Forum, Taipei, Taiwan in 2005; the Asian Pan-Pacific X Poetry Conference, Tokyo in 2005; the Qinghai Lake International Poetry Festival, China in 2007; the Jan Smrek International Literary Festival, Bratislava, Slovakia in 2008; the Soka Gakka International Forum, Tokyo, Japan in 2008; the Struga International Poetry Evenings, Ohrid, Macedonia in 2009; the 1st International Pen Ural Altay Conference, Istanbul, Turkey in 2009; the 60th Anniversary of R.O.C Literature and Art Festival, Taipei, Taiwan in 2010; the 7th annual Stanford Pan-Asian Music Festival, San Francisco, USA in 2011; and the 3rd Ural Altaic PEN solidarity network Congress, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in 2011.

In 2014, Mend-Ooyo was artist in residence at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Umbria, Italy.

Calligraphy

While his fame is mainly based on his poetry, Mend-Ooyo has also found acclaim as a calligrapher, specialising in traditional Mongolian calligraphy. His work has been exhibited in Mongolia in the Poetry and Calligraphy exhibition in Ulaanbaatar in 2006; the 2007 Coming Time poetry and calligraphy exhibition in the Zanabazar Museum in Ulaanbaatar; the 2010 Crystal Temple of Mend-Ooyo’s soul poetry and calligraphy exhibition in the Mongolian Modern Art Gallery in Ulaanbaatar, opened by the Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj.

In 2011, the Дэлхий ээж (Delhii eej: Earth Mother, Mother Earth, or World Mother) poetry and calligraphy exhibition was held in the Mongolian Modern Art Gallery in Ulaanbaatar, in collaboration with another calligrapher, D.Battömör. Before setting out creating some sixty calligraphies, Battömör first read two of Mend-Ooyo's (All Shining Moments and A Patch of White Mist) for inspiration. Together they choose the calligraphies they thought best expressed in calligraphic form Mend-Ooyo's verse. The poems were then written into the calligraphies in manuscript (as opposed to draw them with a brush). Afterwards, Battömör and Mend-Ooyo stamped their seals on these calligraphies. This exhibition traveled to Japan in 2012, where it showed at the Kyoritsu Women's University in Tokyo.

In 2012, Mend-Ooyo showed his calligraphy in the The Steppe calligraphy exhibition at the Art House Center in Ulaanbaatar.

Also in 2012, fourteen of his calligraphy works, curated by S.Sumiya were exhibited in the Museum Café of the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands during a Mongolia Festival which was held against the backdrop of the museum exhibition Horse & Rider - From Homer to Genghis Khan.

In 2014, Mend-Ooyo participated in the joint calligraphy exhibition Sky, Sun and Partnership, held at the Blue Moon Art Gallery, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Mongolian-Japanese cultural relations. The line-up of artists included public figures such as the Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, then Mongolian Prime Minister Norovyn Altankhuyag and the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. The Sky, Sun, Partnership exhibition traveled to Japan in March, 2015. Mend-Ooyo opened the exhibition, which was held at the Itochu Aoyama Art Square. Some of the exhibited pieces were to be auctioned for charity, the proceeds donated to volunteer groups to support the recovery of the area affected by the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake.

Song lyrics

A writer and poet, Mend-Ooyo is also on occasion a song writer. The lyrics to the song Delhii eej (Earth Mother), first put to music by R.Enhbazar in 1985, are well known in Mongolia. Other song lyrics of Mend-Ooyo's hand are Eejiin buuveitei horvoo (World with mother’s buuvei), music by R.Enhbazar, 1981; Enh ugluu (Peaceful morning), music by R.Enhbazar, 1982; Namriin ineemseglel (Smiles of autumn), music by R.Enhbazar, 1983; Malchin (Herdsmen), music by D.Battömör, 1985; Aduu molor erdene (Horse is treasure), music by N.Jantsannorov, 1992; Telmen huh zereglee (Blue miracle), music by N.Jantsannorov, 1995; Altan urgiin nutag (Pastures of golden blood), music by Hatanbaatar, 2004; and Orchlon delhiidee bid jargaltai (We are happy at our Earth), music by D.Tsogdelger.

Themes in Mend-Ooyo's poetry

Mend-Ooyo's writing deals with the life of Mongolia's nomadic herders, their culture and cultural knowledge. In his style and thematic material, he seeks to express the melody and richness of the Mongol language and nomadic society.

Mend-Ooyo explains his work in his short essay My Gentle Lyric - translated by S.Sumiya - thus: "I have long been absorbed by the fundamental nature of my nomadic ancestors, believing in them, favouring and cherishing their quiet, gentle melody. The gentle melody is the nature of my poetry. The wheels of the wooden cart which turn without harming the grass, the quiet character of the elders who avoid stepping on the flowers, the trust of the nomads who have no locks on their doors... it seems that the short road to purity lies here."

As the poet Ruth O'Callaghan explains in her foreword to Mend-Ooyo's book of poetry A Patch of White Mist Mend-Oyoo's poetry is rooted in his Mongolian heritage. According to O'Callaghan, Mend-Ooyo "engages us not only with a superb lyricism but also a profound philosophy" based in Buddhism. Where most people would settle for a philosophy that fits easily and neatly in this modern world, Mend-Ooyo courageously "continues on his quest to discover his own unique position [...] for his existence," in the process crossing impossible boundaries. Mend-Ooyo's philosophy - as he words it in his poetry - is fuelled by Buddhism. Meditation stokes in him a deep empathy with the whole of creation. This profound life-long involvement with Buddhism is the source of Mend-Ooyo's strength; a strength that "an urgency to Mend-Ooyo's poetry in his chronicling of his pursuit of selfhood that is so lucidly and lyrically expressed."

Born into a herdsman's family in Dariganga, Sükhbaatar, Mongolia, in 1952, Mend-Ooyo grew up riding horses and tending sheep, moving over the steppe by camel caravan. Today, he leads a life very different from his childhood, moving across the world by air plane, his mobile phone constantly ringing and his office in Ulaanbaatar crowded by many Mongolian and foreign visitors. Yet, his heart remains faithful to the old ways of the steppe. Despite his achievements, Mend-Ooyo's is acutely aware that "to leave behind one's heritage is to court disaster."

O'Callaghan explains that Mend-Ooyo's poetry weaves a rich tapestry that will live long in the mind of the Western reader. Mend-Ooyo explores the intimate connection between "the personal and the universal." He expresses himself with delicate perception and a gift for language. Western readers will be excited to find that Mend-Ooyo's poetry offers an "informative, introductory insight into the Mongolian psyche – a psyche which embraces the topography not simply of Mongolia or even the universe but of the world beyond this world, an 'otherness' which travels with the poet as surely as his nomadic ancestors."

Simon Wickham-Smith - translator and currently a lecturer at Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA - in his foreword to Mend-Ooyo's children's book Quickwit The Camel, explains Mend-Ooyo's philosophy as the expression of the "profound relationship between Mongolians and the landscape of their country, its physical and historical contours, its spiritual and cultural traditions and, most importantly perhaps, its visionary pathways." He continues to explain that for Mongolians, their landscape is their ancestors. Especially in his book Golden Hill does Mend-Ooyo present - both in poetry and in prose - an admixture of dream, myth, cultural and social history, memoir, (auto)biography, and natural history.

In an interview Simon Wickham-Smith says: "The idea of traditional Mongolian culture is paramount to Mend-Ooyo. He is trying to keep the nomadic spirit alive in spite of modernization" He adds "Mr. Mend-Ooyo is arguably the most important poet in Mongolia today, and certainly the one with the most presence, though some of the newer generation might say he is a bit stuck in the past."

In the same article for the WSJ, Bavuudorj Tsogdorj, 43 years old and an exponent of the younger generation of Mongolian poets, expresses his believe that "his increasingly urbanized countrymen will eventually appreciate their nomadic tradition." He continues: "Younger poets are now writing with European thoughts and styles, but they will come back to Mongolian poetry and thoughts someday. At that time Mend-Ooyo will be really valuable." He adds: "Mend-Ooyo is Mongolia’s poetry representative — he is a genuine nomadic poet."

Today, Mend-Ooyo puts his energy into rethinking the modern Mongolian way of life. In an interview he explains that "he envisions a 21st-century nomadic community in which schools, health care and markets move with the people, allowing them to maintain their mobility while providing some of the benefits of contemporary society." As he says it: "It's my dream to build it." And: "The reason nomads come to the cities is to get education for their children, hospital access. We want to allow nomads to be more modern, to use cellphones and Internet. Keep the old life, just make it better."