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G. Mend-Ooyo Order of Chinggis Khaan · Poet Laureate МОНENG

Gombojavyn Mend-Ooyo

G. Mend-Ooyo is a poet, novelist, and essayist whose works capture the philosophy and culture of the Mongolian steppe. He was born into a family of nomadic herders. He grew up with the endless steppe, the blue sky and the stars, livestock and swift horses, the long-song, folk tales, and camel caravans. The melody instilled in him by his musician father and the imagination cultivated by his fabulist mother have always been at the heart of everything he writes.

From penning his first poem at 13 until now, he has dedicated his life to enriching and preserving the Mongolian nomadic culture and language. Since then he has published more than sixty books of poetry, essays, and fiction, and his work has been translated into more than fifty languages.

Since 2006, he has organized an annual exhibition of calligraphy, and between 1990 and 1996 he was involved in the development of the Migjid Janraisig complex, which united Mongolian history and culture. Mend-Ooyo is one of the principal figures in Mongolia involved in the revival of the national Mongolian script and the calligraphy tradition, and in the study and protection of cultural heritage.

Many commentators have pointed out that, in addition to clearly reflecting in his work the idea of safeguarding the earth and the natural world, Mend-Ooyo expresses with his gentle melodies the exquisite riches of the Mongolian language and of the nomadic worldview. Mend-Ooyo’s writings deal with the life of Mongolia’s nomadic herders, their culture and cultural knowledge. In his style and thematic material, he seeks to express the melody and richness of the Mongol language and nomadic society.

His novel Gegeenten (The Holy One) received “Golden Feather” annual award for Novel of the Year in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 2012. His latest novel, Öndör Bogd, was released on September 17th, 2026.Mend-Ooyo’s work has been honored in Mongolia and around the world. In 2009 he was named Poet Laureate with the Golden Crown, the highest poetry award of the World Congress of Poets (Budapest). In 2014 he received the Grand Prize of the Mihai Eminescu International Academy, Romania 2014. In 2015 the President of Mongolia awarded him the Order of Chinggis Khaan, the highest honor of Mongolia.

Honors
  • 2025
    Kathak Literary Award, for outstanding contribution to world literature Kathak, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 2015
    Order of Chinggis Khaan, the highest honor of Mongolia by the declaration of the Mongolian President
  • 2014
    Grand Prize of the Mihai Eminescu International Academy Craiova, Romania
  • 2012
    “Golden Feather” (Altan Ud) annual award for Novel of the Year, for Gegeenten (The Holy One) Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
  • 2009
    Poet Laureate (with Golden Crown), highest poetry award of the World Congress of Poets Budapest, Hungary
  • 2008
    Crane Summit Arts and Culture Medallion Crane Summit 21st Century International Forum, Taiwan
  • 2008
    Honorary Medal Soka University, Tokyo, Japan
  • 2006
    Anniversary Medal, 800th Anniversary of the Great Mongolian Empire by the President of Mongolia
  • 2006
    International Cultural and Poetic Award, “B. Yavuuhulan” International Center of Nomadic Civilization, Mongolia
  • 2005
    First prize, poetry contest for “Moon over an old temple”, XXV World Congress of Poets USA
  • 2005
    Medallion of the President, “for poetic excellence” World Academy of Arts and Culture, Los Angeles, USA
  • 2002
    Doctorate of Literature (permanent member) World Academy of Arts and Culture
  • 2002
    Poet of the Year International Poetry Translation and Research Centre, China
  • 2001
    Golden Feather award, Mongolia's Writer of the Year Ulaanbaatar
  • 2001
    Prize winner, PEN Club of International Poetry Hong Kong
  • 1999
    Award of the Mongolian Writers' Union Mongolia
  • 1996
    Distinguished Cultural Figure of Mongolia by decree of the President of Mongolia
  • 1995
    First place, Danzanravjaa Poetry Contest Mongolia
G. Mend-Ooyo, a five-year-old herder boy · 1957
At 13, his first poem was published in a local newspaper · 1965
At 18, he became a teacher · 1970
With friends from the Gal literary group · 1979
The young poet G. Mend-Ooyo with writer friends · 1979
The young poet G. Mend-Ooyo with veterans of the Khalkhin Gol War and friends · 1979
With N. Enkhbayar at the Asian-African Young Writers Conference, India. Enkhbayar's English translation of his poem “I Am Coming to You” had been published in Lotus magazine · 1987
On the banks of the Kherlen River in winter · 1987
Playing one of the main roles in the film “Lineage of the Great Khan” · 1995
G. Mend-Ooyo opens the Migjid Janraisig complex, which brings together Mongolian history and culture · 1996
President P. Ochirbat honors G. Mend-Ooyo as a Distinguished Cultural Figure of Mongolia · 1996
With local people by the Turgen River · 2000
World Congress of Poets, Tokyo, Japan · 2000
World Congress of Poets, Sydney, Australia · 2001
With poet friends, Iași, Romania · 2002
With the renowned Japanese poet Shinkawa Kazuya at the Asia-Pacific Poets Conference, Tokyo, Japan · 2005
G. Mend-Ooyo, president of the 26th World Congress of Poets · 2006
With the Chinese poet Jidi Majia at the Qinghai Lake Poetry Festival, China · 2007
With the Russian poet Rimma Kazakova at the Qinghai Lake Poetry Festival, China · 2007
With the Slovak poet Milan Rúfus at the Ján Smrek International Poetry Festival, Bratislava, Slovakia · 2008
Poetry reading at the House of Slovak Writers, Bratislava, Slovakia · 2008
At the World Congress of Poets, Acapulco, Mexico · 2008
With Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov and other poets at the Struga Poetry Evenings, Macedonia · 2009
With friends and Katalin Szili, Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament, in the Hungarian Parliament Building · 2009
At the Ural-Altaic PEN Conference, Istanbul, Turkey · 2009
President of Mongolia Ts. Elbegdorj speaks during his visit to the exhibition “Mend-Ooyo’s Days”, Ulaanbaatar Gallery of Modern Art · 2010
With the French writer Patrick Fischmann and the Mongolian writer Galsan Tschinag, Uvurkhangai Province · 2011
With the South African poet Mongane Wally Serote at the Struga Poetry Evenings · 2012
Mongolian Poetry Evening at the Struga Poetry Evenings, Macedonia · 2012
At the memorial monument in Hiroshima, Japan · 2012
Poetry reading at a bookstore, Baguio City, Philippines · 2012
On the Suvdan Sondor tour, Khurgiin Khundii, Dariganga · 2013
Meeting His Holiness the Dalai Lama about the Migjid Janraisig project, Dharamsala, India · 1993
Asian Literature Forum with O. Dashbalbar and Takashi Arima, Ulaanbaatar · 1999
Asia-Pacific Poets Conference, Tokyo, Japan · 2005
The Altan Ovoo offering, Dariganga · 2008
With writers of Sukhbaatar Province, Sukhbaatar sum · 1988
Summer Course in Mongolian Literary Translation, Lakitelek. Sándor Lezsák, Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, attended the opening. The course leader, Dr. Ágnes Birtalan, selected 16 of G. Mend-Ooyo's works closely related to Mongolian nomadic culture · 2015
A talk on protecting Ganga Lake, at the Ganga Lake Festival on the lake shore, Dariganga. The festival travels through Dariganga to study the region's cultural history, ecology and natural sciences, and shows how its people live with their culture and environment · 2014
Receiving the Grand Prize of the Mihai Eminescu International Academy, Craiova, Romania · 2014
Poetry reading by G. Mend-Ooyo and the Monégasque poet Sabine Reglion at the Fondation de Monaco, the Monaco cultural center of the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris · 2017
Japanese-Mongolian calligraphy exhibition “Ties between the Empire of the Blue Sky and the Empire of the Sun”, Tokyo, 5–24 March · 2015
Portrait of G. Mend-Ooyo by the painter Orkhon in the State Ceremonial Hall, Parliament House of Mongolia · 2016
With his Italian translator Damiano Abeni and Ts. Jambaldorj, Ambassador of Mongolia to Italy · 2017
At Ritratti di Poesia, hosted by the Fondazione Terzo Pilastro – Italia e Mediterraneo, Rome, Italy · 2017
G. Mend-Ooyo's home window, drawn by Matteo Pericoli · 2013
With M. Batsaikhan, Ambassador of Mongolia to France, and the Ambassador of Monaco, Paris · 2017
Speech on receiving the Grand Prize of the Mihai Eminescu International Academy, Craiova, Romania · 2014
With the Civitella fellows, Italy · 2014
Reading poems at the Mihai Eminescu International Poetry Festival, Craiova, Romania · 2015
Honorary doctorate from the Mongolian University of Arts and Culture · 2015
Reading poems to local audiences and the people of Civitella · 2014
At the ruins of Nalanda, Bihar, India
Press and scholarship
  • Simon Wickhamsmith, The Interrelationship of Humans and the Mongol Landscape in G. Mend-Ooyo’s Altan Ovoo: A Study of the Nomadic Culture of Mongolia. Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2013. 466 pp. ISBN 9780773444171. Library of Congress Control Number 2013934153. http://www.mellenpress.com/mellenpress.cfm?bookid=8815&pc=9
  • The Wall Street Journal, “Poet fights to maintain Mongolia’s Nomadic culture” by Kit Gillet, Feb, 07, 2013 http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/tag/gombojavyn-mend-ooyo, http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2013/02/07/at-odds-with-mongolias-modernity-a-poet-seeks-another-way, http://www.kitgillet.com/?p=1569 http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/tag/gombojavyn-mend-ooyo
  • The Paris Review, “G. Mend-Ooyo, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia” series of World Windows, March 1, 2013, by Matteo Pericoli, www.theparisreview.org/blog/tag/g-mend-ooyo/ http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/author/matteo-pericoli/
  • Saint Petersburg State University, “Old legends in modern literature: mystical enchantment of G. Mend-Ooyo’s works” by Maria Petrova, Russia, 2010 http://www.ergon-verlag.de/en/ http://www.ergon-verlag.de/en/
  • “G. Mend-Ooyo's All Shining Moments – a Psalm of Nomadism” Dr. Shaleen Kumar Singh, critic, India, 2009 http://www.creativesaplings.com/old/r3.html, http://www.uyghurpen.org/the_poets_achievement.html, http://muzo.mn/en/1822 http://www.creativesaplings.com/old/r3.html
  • Golden Hill, “Along other people’s paths and around other people’s wheels” by D. Uriankhai , Poet, 2007 http://muzo.mn/en/1821 http://muzo.mn/en/1821
  • “Discovery of the majestic existence of Mongolian culture in the poetry of G. Mend-Ooyo” Dr., Prof. Ya. Baatar, Critic, Mongolia, 2005 http://muzo.mn/en/1820 http://muzo.mn/en/1820
  • “Confer Nobel Prize for Literature to G. Mend-Ooyo” by Niraj Kumar, India, 2011 https://ariseasia.blogspot.com/2011/07/confer-nobel-prize-for-literature-to.html
  • “Introduction to ‘Quickwit the Camel’” by Lyn Coffin, poet, USA, 2010 http://muzo.mn/en/1823 http://muzo.mn/en/1823
  • “Dariganga’s poetic triad” by Khurelbaatar U, poetry critic, Mongolia, 2011 http://muzo.mn/en/1186 http://muzo.mn/en/1186
  • International Pen Uyghur Center, “The poet’s achievement, separate from time” by B. Magsarjav, critic, Mongolia, 2011
  • Caudernos del Matemático, “Mend-Ooyo, el gran poeta contemporáneo de Mongolia” by Justo Jorge Padron, suplemento de Caudernos del Matemático N° 50, ISSN 1132-2403,
  • “Homage to g mend ooyo and his book entitled “Golden Hill” by Prof. Ernesto Kahan, Poet and physician, Isreal and Argentina, 2008
  • “Translator’s introduction” Simon Wickham-Smith, translator and critic, UK, 2007
  • “Introduction”, by Ruth O’Callaghan, poet and publisher, UK, 2010
  • “A few heartfelt remarks about Gombojavyn Mend-Ooyo’s poem” by Dr. Imre P. Zsoldos, poet and critic, Hungary-Taiwan, 2006 (Yaruu nairag-shidet dolgion-II, (Poetry is magic wave), poetry critiques, p 187-191, Ulaanbaatar 2007, ISBN -99929-1-245-6)
  • “A Letter to poet G. Mend-Ooyo and other fellow poets of Mongolia” by Imre P. Zsoldos, GUNU magazine, p7-8, 2005 № 1, ISBN 99929-73-67-6