The beginning of the year 2024, named the Year of "Fount of Wisdom Magtymguly Fragi", was marked by a significant event in the field of culture - the State Museum of Fine Arts awarded the winners of the literary contest dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the poet and philosopher Magtymguly Fragi.
It should be recalled that last year the Ministry of Culture invited everyone interested to participate in the contest in the categories: novel, novella, short story, poem and epic, all dedicated to the Turkmen classic, the master of words and thoughts Magtymguly Fragi.
Writers, journalists, students and even schoolchildren responded to the announcement. 14 of the most successful pieces were selected out of all the submitted works, and their authors became the winners of the contest. The award ceremony for the laureates was held in one of the museum halls.
Lyale Begmyradova, People's Artist of Turkmenistan, performed several songs based on the poetry of Magtymguly.
In a festive atmosphere, each of the laureates was awarded an Honorary Diploma and a valuable gift. It is noteworthy that among the winners was Ovadan Yusupova, a student from the 11th grade of Ashgabat Secondary School № 18.
In an interview for our readers, Ovadan shared that she started writing poetry in the 8th grade, and when she saw the announcement of the creative contest, she decided to try her hand at prose. This is how the novella "Magtymguly Fragi" came to be, with its main characters being her classmates, but presented as if all the stories associated with them were unfolding before Magtymguly's eyes. When asked about her future aspirations, Ovadan replied, "To become a teacher, like my mother, and literature is just a hobby."
The grand event concluded with a group photo of the winners.