Mend-Ooyo Gombojav was born into a herder's family in Dariganga, Sukhbaatar, Mongolia, in 1952.
19 Facts About Mend-Ooyo Gombojav
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Mend-Ooyo Gombojav started his career in 1970, as an elementary school teacher in the border village of Zamiin Uud, Dornogovi aimag, in the far south east of Mongolia.
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Mend-Ooyo Gombojav joined in fellow residency program in Civitella Ranieri Foundation in 2014, and led the World Poetry Days in Mongolia in 2017.
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In 1996, Mend-Ooyo Gombojav earned a Master's degree at the University of Arts and Culture in Mongolia.
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Mend-Ooyo Gombojav was a controversial poet and translator who had alienated officials in Ulaanbaatar.
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Mend-Ooyo Gombojav was sent, as punishment, to teach at the remote rural school Mend-Ooyo attended.
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Mend-Ooyo Gombojav explained that at the time, communist censors wouldn't let groups meet.
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Later, in 1988, Mend-Ooyo Gombojav became a member of the Mongolian Writers' Union.
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Mend-Ooyo Gombojav explains that Gegeenten tells the story of the Noton Hutagt Dulduityn Danzanravjaa.
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Mend-Ooyo Gombojav tried to write his poetry on the computer.
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Mend-Ooyo Gombojav has been awarded many prizes from literary organizations around the world.
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In 2001, Mend-Ooyo Gombojav was awarded the Altan Ud award, Mongolia's Writer of the Year.
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In 2006, the year of the 800th Anniversary of Great Mongolian Empire, Mend-Ooyo Gombojav was awarded the Anniversary medal by the President of Mongolia.
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In 2012, Mend-Ooyo Gombojav received the Altan Ud award, for his book Gegeenten.
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Mend-Ooyo Gombojav received many international award and accolades, from China to England, Greece and Korea, India, Japan and the USA.
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In 2009, Mend-Ooyo Gombojav was named Poet Laureate, the highest poetry award of the World Congress of Poets.
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In 2014, Mend-Ooyo Gombojav participated in the joint calligraphy exhibition Sky, Sun and Partnership, held at the Blue Moon Art Gallery, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Mongolian-Japanese cultural relations.
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Mend-Ooyo Gombojav opened the exhibition, which was held at the Itochu Aoyama Art Square.
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Mend-Ooyo Gombojav is trying to keep the nomadic spirit alive in spite of modernization" Mend-Ooyo Gombojav adds "Mr Mend-Ooyo is arguably the most important poet in Mongolia today, and certainly the one with the most presence, though some of the newer generation might say he is a bit stuck in the past.