Kazakh translator of Nobel winner Mo Yan now works as a sheep herder

Renowned Chinese writer and Nobel Prize winner Mo Yan has arrived in Kazakhstan for his first-ever visit, prompting a flurry of reports from local Kaznet users.

Read also: The Tokayev reading list: The writers and proverbs guiding Kazakhstan’s leader.

Mo Yan has not only a devoted readership among Kazakhs but also translators who have brought his works into the Kazakh language. We recently came across a Facebook post about the fate of one such translator.

The Kazakh translator of Mo Yan

The post, titled «The Kazakh Who Translated Mo Yan Is Herding Sheep,» tells the story of Tursynbek Baizhumauly, an ethnic Kazakh from China who later relocated to Kazakhstan.

Baizhumauly served as editor of Shugyla («Rays of Light»), one of the leading Kazakh literary magazines in China. He was also a well-known writer and, notably, translated Mo Yan’s sprawling novel «Sandalwood Death» into Kazakh. According to literary circles, his translation is considered the finest among the 10 Mo Yan novels that have been translated into Kazakh.

«Today, Tursynbek lives in the village of Karabulak in the Eskeldy district of Almaty region [this was written in 2017 — editor’s note]. After moving permanently to Kazakhstan, obtaining citizenship, and putting away all the awards and diplomas he had received in China, he slung a shovel over his shoulder and went to work in the fields…» the post’s author wrote.

A literary connection

According to Baizhumauly, all of Mo Yan’s work is devoted to his native region of Gaomi. He said the writer’s breadth of thought and emotional depth are comparable to those of prominent Kazakh author Oralkhan Bokey. Just as Bokey celebrated the Altai region in his writing, Mo Yan writes about Gaomi.

In 2011, Mo Yan received China’s highest literary honor, the Mao Dun Literature Prize. A year later, in 2012, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

«If Sandalwood Death were revised and republished, it would be wonderful news for every Kazakh reader who loves literature and wants to better understand China. They would see the true face of a genuine writer,» the translator said of his favorite author.

From literary translation to herding livestock

At the end of the post, the author recounts a recent conversation with the translator.

«Tursynbek contacted me just yesterday. He makes a living herding cattle in a district of the Pavlodar region [eastern Kazakhstan], where he relocated under the domestic migration program. With his phone constantly cutting in and out, he’s incredibly difficult to get hold of.»

One can’t help but wonder whether the translator knows that Mo Yan is in Kazakhstan at this very moment.