The Akhundov National Library hosted a presentation ceremony of ‘The Forest Song’ by Lesya Ukrainka, as part of the Azerbaijan State Translation Centre’s (AzSTC) international literary exchange project.         

    In her opening remarks, Pusta Akhundova, the coordinator of the Centre for Ukraine, spoke about Lesya Ukrainka, the outstanding Ukrainian poetess, the author of the book. “The book presented to the Azerbaijani reader for the first time is a further significant and fruitful contribution to the successful literary cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine,” the coordinator said. 

   Later, Etimad Bashkeсhid, a writer and translator, Head of the Department of Science, Education and Culture at the AzSTC, Yashar Aliyev, a writer and translator, Head of the Department of Information at the AzSTC, Salam Sarvan, the famous Azerbaijani poet and author of the translation, Professor Javanshir Yusiflu, Doctor of Philology, Professor Badirkhan Ahmadli, Doctor of Philology, Firuz Mustafa, a writer-playwright gave speeches. The speakers stressed the special attention paid to Ukrainian literature by the AzSTC, spoke about the high-quality translation of the famous work by Lesya Ukrainka into Azerbaijani, in which she created the national and spiritual world of the Ukrainian people, and lyrical-artistic chronicle of national folklore.

   Mr. Heorhii Selskyı, First Secretary, Head of Culture and Humanitarian Section at the Embassy of Ukraine highly appreciated the publication of the book of such a famous Ukrainian writer as Lesya Ukrainka, called it a significant event both for the Azerbaijan and Ukrainian literary environment and thanked the State Translation Centre for the wide promotion of Ukrainian literature in Azerbaijan.

   At the end of the event, Sanan Nagiyev, the Turkish language translator-coordinator at the AzSTC performed Lukash's aria from a musical performance based on ‘The Forest Song’ by the famous composer Vladimir Nazarov.

   The Azerbaijan State Translation Centre published the author’s book ‘The Forest Song’ in Azerbaijani translation as the winner of a literary grant organized by the Ukrainian Book Institute’s ‘Translate Ukraine’ programme on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of birth of the outstanding Ukrainian writer, translator, folklorist, public and cultural activist Lesya Ukrainka.

   The author of the foreword is Pusta Akhundova, and the editor is Bahlul Abbasov.

Gallery