德国波恩大学赖希尔教授1989年访问新疆之时,听说柯尔克孜族著名歌手居素甫·玛玛依老人会演唱二十三万多行的巨型史诗《玛纳斯》,此外还会演唱十多部英雄史诗和长篇叙事诗,因此提出一定要拜见这位歌手。他如愿以偿,访问了这位伟大的民间歌手。后来,赖希尔教授在美国举行的一个国际民间文学学术会议上,报告了居素甫·玛玛依及其演唱的史诗《玛纳斯》。代表们深感震惊,他们没有想到在中国不仅存在“活形态”的史诗,而且还存在着“活着的荷马”。 During a visit to Xinjiang in 1989, Prof. Lai Hill, a German Bonn University, heard that the famous singer of the Kyrgyz family, Juusuf Mayama, will perform over 200,000 giant epics, “Manas,” in addition to singing ten Many heroic epics and narrative poems, it is proposed to meet with the singer. He got his wish and visited the great folk singer. Later, at an academic conference on international folklore held in the United States, Professor Reicher reported on Natumar Mayi and his epic “Manas”. The delegates were deeply shocked that they did not think that there was not only an epic of “living style” in China, but also “living Homer.”