Sonomyn Udval (21 February 1921 – 1991) was a Mongolian women's leader, politician and writer.

Biography

She was born in Dashinchilen sum of

Bulgan Province Bulgan Province () is one of the 21 provinces of Mongolia, located in the north of the country. Its capital is also named Bulgan. History Bulgan Province was established in 1937 after being separated from Selenge Province. In 1994, Orkhon Pr ...

on 21 February 1921. She worked as the chairwoman of the Central Council of the Mongolian Trade Union in 1956–1958; the first secretary and then the chair of the Mongolian Writers' Union, the chairwoman and president of the Mongolian Women's Committee in 1973–1982 and the deputy chairwoman of the Committee of Veterans of Revolutionary Struggle. In 1953, she was elected to serve on the Executive Council of the

Women's International Democratic Federation The Women's International Democratic Federation (WIDF) is an international women's rights organization. Established in 1945, it was most active during the Cold War when, according to historian Francisca de Haan, it was "the largest and probably ...

. Udwal was elected as the deputy of the People's Great Khural (Parliament) in various constituencies between 1951 and 1986. In 1966 she joined the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party's Central Committee and left it in 1990. As a writer, Udwal penned novels such as '' Odgerel'' (1957), ''The First Thirteen'', ''Khatanbaatar'', ''Tuuž ögüüllėg'' (1974) ''Magsarjav'', and ''Great Destiny'' (1973), and numerous short stories. Her works have been translated into several languages. Described as a "prominent short story writer", she was awarded with the Joliot-Curie Gold Medal of Peace of the World Council of Peace in 1965 and the Afro-Asian

Lotus Prize for Literature The Lotus Prize for Literature (also known as Lotus International Reward for Literature or The Lotus Prize for African and Asian Literature) is a literary award presented annually to African and Asian authors by the Afro-Asian Writers' Associati ...

in 1971, awarded by the Permanent Bureau of Afro-Asian Writers. She noted in 1967 that

Soviet literature Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia, its émigrés, and to Russian-language literature. Major contributors to Russian literature, as well as English for instance, are authors of different ethnic origins, including bilingual ...

played an important role in the development of

Mongolian literature Mongolian literature is literature written in Mongolia and/or in the Mongolian language. It was greatly influenced by and evolved from its nomadic oral storytelling traditions, and it originated in the 13th century. The "three peaks" of Mongol ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Udval, Somomyn 1921 births 1991 deaths People from Bulgan Province Mongolian women writers 20th-century women writers 20th-century Mongolian women politicians 20th-century Mongolian politicians Mongolian novelists Mongolian short story writers Mongolian women novelists Women short story writers 20th-century novelists 20th-century short story writers 20th-century Mongolian writers 20th-century Mongolian women 20th-century Mongolian people Women's International Democratic Federation people