The Cultural Fund of Ukraine on Tuesday hosted a presentation ceremony for the modern Azerbaijani anthology titled “Letters Sent by the Wind”.

In his opening remarks, Vladimir Danilenko, a well-known Ukrainian writer and First Secretary of the Kyiv branch of the Union of Writers of Ukraine, said the publication of the anthology of modern Ukrainian poetry “A Man, a Woman, and an Umbrella” in Azerbaijan, which is a joint project between the Azerbaijan Translation Centre under the Cabinet of Ministers (AzTC) and the Kyiv branch of the Union of Writers of Ukraine and the publication of the modern Azerbaijani anthology titled “Letters Sent by the Wind” in Ukraine are vivid examples of long-standing friendship and literary exchange between the two brotherly peoples. AzTC Director Afag Masud was then given the floor. She said:

“Dear friends,

 Dear guests,

I am tremendously delighted to be joined by all of you on this very special day in this cultural mainstay, native Kyiv, graciously illuminating Ukrainian culture and literature. I certainly think this meeting, as a consequence of our bilateral inter-literary collaboration, is particularly significant for us, as well as for you.

The kinship, mutual love and understanding, historically connecting the peoples of Azerbaijan and Ukraine in all areas have been shown to bring fruitful results. The translation of examples of Azerbaijani poetry into the Ukrainian language and their publication in brotherly Ukraine, as well as the translation of poems by famous Ukrainian poets into the Azerbaijani language and their publication in Baku are another major manifestation of long-standing ties of brotherhood and love that bind us.

As the public voice of the translation industry, our Centre had translated and published into Azerbaijani works of world literature for over 25 years. By his Decree in 2014, President of the Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev extended a new status to our Centre, paving way for popularizing Azerbaijan’s literature in the international arena, and promoting interliterary exchange. Through the Government care and special attention in the area of literature and thought, today samples of Azerbaijan literature are translated and published into many languages worldwide, and are distributed to libraries, posted on electronic sites of foreign libraries and book stores, universities, funds, cultural centres, etc. Our Centre has successfully promoted Azerbaijani literature at the international level through implementing different project formats. In that regard, we are pleased to note Modern Azerbaijan Literature anthologies (prose and poetry) in Russian published in Russia, in Turkish in Ankara, in English in London, in Arabic in Cairo, in Spanish in Bogota, and today in Ukrainian in Kyiv. This book will be published in Georgian and presented in Georgia in the near future. Efforts are under way to have the anthologies translated into the Bulgarian, Czech, Norwegian and German languages.

We also continue to bring to the Azerbaijani reader the literary heritage of the world, in which Ukrainian literature has its full place. Works by famous Ukrainian writers, including such famous ones as Aleksander Mardan, Ihor Pavlyuk and Moris Simashko, have been translated into Azerbaijani and published in Khazar world literature magazine, a publication of our Centre. A logical extension of the work in this direction has been our recent edition “A Man, a Woman, and an Umbrella”, a book of modern Ukrainian poetry. It includes works by Yuriy Tarnawsky, Vasyl Stus, Vasyl R001uban, Nadezhda Kiriyan, Mihail Kamenyuk, Oleh Lysheha, Yuriy Gudz, Natalka Bilotserkivets, and other famous Ukrainian poets. I believe I won’t be wrong if I call these books a symbol of brotherhood and mutual love of our peoples.

By embodying common human values today, Azerbaijan turns into a global platform that promotes intercultural dialog and mutual understanding. There is no other way to prevent wars, aggression, violence, terror, and social and political crisis around the world, thus causing more global, hopeless crisis - the crisis of Mankind, great divine human essence.

One way is, of course, the literature and art of declamation found in the right place at the right time, and capable of pulling Mankind back from all evil spirits, oppression and violence. And these books brought to your attention today also sacredly and devotedly serve to struggle for the great cause to save humanity!

I sincerely wish success and new victories in this noble assignment for all of you and us!”

Next, speakers were head of the Ukrainian Cultural Fund Alexander Bakumenko, Ukraine’s deputy Minister of Culture Vladimir Khodakiyevski, notable Ukrainian Poetess Lesya Mudrak, chairman of the unified Congress of Azerbaijanis in Ukraine Rovshan Taghıyev, head of the Science, Education and Culture Department at AzTC Yashar Aliyev, head of the Youth Association of Azerbaijanis in Ukraine Ilhama Allahverdiyeva, director of the Public Library named after Samad Vurgun Halyna Chebotarova, poetess Nadezhda Kiriyan, and others, sharing their views on literary values of both books.

Later on, the event heard verses by Mammad Araz, Aliagha Kurchaylı, Gabil, Alakbar Salahzade, Nabi Khazri, Tofig Bayram, Isa Ismayılzade, Alisamid Kur in both Ukrainian and Azerbaijani.

The author of the foreword to the anthology is Doctor of Philological Sciences Vladimir Danilenko.

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