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In collaboration with the Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic in the Kingdom of Belgium

On the eve of the 96th anniversary

of the outstanding writer and diplomat Chingiz Aitmatov,

we invite you to an evening dedicated to his life and work,

with a screening of a film-screening of one of his novels

and tasting of Russian and Kyrgyz cuisine

Chingiz Aitmatov – a Soviet and Kyrgyz writer whose works hold significance for his people comparable to the national epic “Manas.” He was born on December 12, 1928, in the village of Sheker in the Talas region of Kyrgyzstan. Aitmatov’s writing career began in Moscow. In 1956, he enrolled in the Higher Literary Courses at the A.M. Gorky Literary Institute, graduating in 1958. Aitmatov gained worldwide recognition when his work *Jamilia*, written in 1958, was translated into French by the French poet Louis Aragon. In 1963, Aitmatov was awarded the Lenin Prize for his literary and public contributions.

Chingiz Aitmatov is the only diplomat in world diplomacy history to serve as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary for three states: the last ambassador of the USSR and the first ambassador of the Russian Federation to Luxembourg, as well as the first ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to four countries: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

The works of this globally renowned writer have been translated into 176 languages and published in 128 countries. Chingiz Aitmatov’s legacy is considered a shared heritage of the entire Turkic world.

“The Early Cranes”

Director: Bolotbek Shamshiyev

Screenplay: Chingiz Aitmatov, Bolotbek Shamshiyev

Starring: Emil Boronchiyev, Suimenkul Chokmorov, Gulsara Azhibekova

1979 * 96 minutes 

English subtitles

Based on Chingiz Aitmatov’s novel of the same name, *The Early Cranes* tells the story of 14-year-old Sultanmurat and his peers living in a small Kyrgyz village. Sultanmurat is the only male left in his family, as the others have gone to the front. Together with his friends, he saves the horses left unattended, rescuing them from starvation.

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