Tyumen State University plans to translate the works of the Nenets nomadic writer Anna Nerkagi "Aniko from the Nogo clan" and "White moss" into Finnish and Hungarian, Sergei Simakov, director of the university's publishing house, told TASS.
The Nenets writer Anna Nerkagi living in Yamal is the only nomadic writer in the Far North. For many readers, she became a guide to the world and culture of the Nenets people.
"Yamal, [the government of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region] promised support, we agreed that we will translate [the works of Anna Nerkagi] into Finno-Ugric languages. So far, we discussed two languages — Finnish and Hungarian," Simakov said.
He specified that the work on translations of the original writer will begin before the end of 2020. It is planned to translate her most famous works —"Aniko from the Nogo clan" and "White moss".
Earlier, the works of the original writer were translated into English by Tyumen State University. And last year, in a joint project with the publishing house "Gara de Edisons" they were transated into Spanish — the topic of preserving identity, culture and language is relevant for Spain as well. The specialist in Spanish, who was the first to translate the books of Gabriel García Márquez into Russian, worked on the translation. Work is also underway to translate Nerkagi's works into Italian and Chinese.
The world's only nomadic writer has repeatedly been nominated for the Nobel Prize. In order to increase the chances of victory for an original Russian writer, the publishing house of Tyumen State University, together with supporters and enthusiasts, translates her works into foreign languages.
About the works
"Aniko of the Nogo Clan" was published in 1976, and "White Moss" was published in 1995. The story of the girl Aniko amid the various and profound life of the tundra reflects the conflict between the life that is familiar, traditional for the Nenets and the new one that rebels against the old order. The tundra is waiting for its children who have left, who can make its life better, but they are leaving for the mainland. The story "White moss" is born from the experience of the nomadic life of Anna Nerkagi in the Baidaratskaya tundra, the experience of self-awareness, the new discovery of her people and reflections on its fate, the story is full of Nenets mythology.
Nerkagi founded the Land of Hope camp for orphans in the Baidaratskaya tundra beyond the Arctic Circle. And in a 2012 documentary filmmaker Ekaterina Golovnya shot a movie about it — "Nerkagi". In 2014, her story "White Moss" was adapted to screen by director Vladimir Tumaev, the film won awards at the 36th Moscow International Film Festival, at the 21st Los Angeles Film Festival, the film was shown at the Russian Film Festival in Milan.