The Memorial Feast for Kökötöy Khan by Saghïmbay Orozbaq uulu: a Reading with the translator Daniel Prior
Thursday, November 17, 2022 , 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Location: 202 Mortarboard Room, Thompson Library
Contact: CSEEES
The Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies, Hilandar Research Library, the Department of History and the Department of Near Eastern and South Asian Languages and Cultures are hosting Daniel Prior for a lecture and reading of his recently published translation of the Kirghiz epic poem "The Memorial Feast for Kökötöy Khan."
Presenter: Daniel Prior has been studying and translating poems in the Kirghiz oral epic tradition for thirty years. His research has involved ethnographic field work in the Tien Shan mountains, musical transcription and analysis of wax phonograph cylinders and co-development of a digital platform for researching oral-derived manuscript texts in an archive in Kyrgyzstan. His work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies and the Slavic-Eurasian Research Center at Hokkaido University. He is professor of history at Miami University.
Abstract: The bard, Saghïmbay Orozbaq uulu, composed his oral telling of the great Central Asian a "Manas" epic in the early twentieth century, although it draws on far older sources. This vivid episode from his narrative tells the bravura story of an uncertain new khan, Boqmurun, who holds a great feast to commemorate his predecessor, Kökötöy. From east and west, warriors and their turbulent retinues come to compete in horse races, jousting and wrestling, and soon insults are hurled and scores settled violently. Yet none can beat the supreme hero, the mighty, truculent Manas. By themes earthy, stirring, bombastic and funny, Saghïmbay's work stands as a monument to the oral culture of a nomadic people. Prior will read from his translation and discuss the translation process.
Buy your copy of the book here.
If you have any questions about accessibility or wish to request accommodations, please contact us at cseees@osu.edu. Typically, a two weeks' notice will allow us to provide access.
