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ANTIQUITY Perhaps the most celebrated Azeri work is the '' Book Of Dede Korkut '', an epic about the Oghuz Turks . It is a collection of tales that take place in pre- Islamic Azerbaijan and Central Asia , written around the 6th Century or 7th Century . In addition to being valued as literature, historians view the book as an important insight into the language, way of life, religions, traditions and social norms of the people inhabiting this large portion of land. It has been translated into many languages. In 1998 the book was recognized by the United Nations as being more than 1300 years old. In the 11th Century and 12th Century , Azerbaijani literature flourished under the Shirvanshahs . Historically, Nizami Ganjavi has been held up as one of Azerbaijan's greatest poets, although Iranians also consider him as a native son (he wrote in Persian ). His most famous works were "The Treasure House of Mysteries," written in 1173 , and the poems "Iskandar-Nama" (The Book of Alexander), "Khosrow and Shirin" ( 1181 ), "Seven Beauties," ( 1197 ), and "Layla and Majnun" ( 1188 ). He is perhaps best known today for Layla and Majnun, a story of two lovers told as a religious morality play and sometimes compared to William Shakespeare 's Romeo And Juliet . The Sufi s in particular consider Layla and Majnun an important parable. In the 15th Century , Azerbaijani literature was dominated by Black Sheep Turkmen and White Sheep Turkmen (''Qara Qoyunlu'' and ''Aq Qoyunlu'') dynasties who ruled in parts of Iran . To this period belong such literary figures as Jahanshah Qaraqoyunlu (pen name Haqiqi), Habibi and Sheykh Qasim Enver. In the 16th Century , Azerbaijani literature began to flourish — folk literature grew and minstrels and bards began developing Ashiglar Poetry . This was also the period when, under the pen name " Khata'i ", Shah Ismail I produced his famous work ''Divani Xetayi''. A unique literary style known as ''“Qoshma”'' was introduced in this period, developed by Shah Ismail and later on by his successor Shah Tahmasp. Azeris also celebrate Koroglu , who was considered a national hero in Azerbaijan in the 16th Century . The ''Epic of Köroğlu'' is shared by the Azerbaijanis, Turks , and the Turkmens . Most of the characters in the epic were historical persons, including Koroglu, Giziroglu Bey, Kosa Safar, Jafar and Hasan Pasha. Koroglu's many poems are kept in the Institute of Manuscripts of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. Also in the 16th century, Muhammed Fuzuli produced his timeless philosophical and lyrical ''Qazals'' in both Persian and Azerbaijani. Benefiting immensely from the fine literary traditions of his environment, and building upon the legacy of his predecessors, Fizuli was destined to become the leading literary figure of his society. His major works include ''The Divan of Ghazals'' and ''The Qasidas''. In the span of the 17th Century , Fizuli's unique genres were taken up by prominent poets and writers such as Qovsi Of Tabriz , Shah Abbas Sani , Amani, Zafar and others. THE 20TH CENTURY The country's literature in the 20th Century was profoundly influenced by political events that took place early in the 19th Century — the two Russo-Persian wars that resulted in Azerbaijan being divided into two separate nations, fracturing what had before been a coherent national identity. Writers, poets and philosophers helped the Azeri people redefine their national identity along these lines. Under Russian rule, Azeri writers who did not conform to the party line were persecuted, particularly while Josef Stalin was in power. Stalin and the Bolshevik s sought to destroy the intellectual foundation of Azerbaijan by turning intellectuals and writers into mouthpieces for propaganda. Azerbaijan had long been a nation respectful of its literary class as philosophers; but under communist rule writers were valued only for their political and ideological contributions. Accordingly, much of the Azeri writing of the era surrounding World War II was primarily propagandistic. Those writers that refused to comply were disciplined — many were seized during Stalin's Purge s. An influential piece of post World War II Azerbaijani poetry, ''Heydar Babaya Salam'' (Greetings to Heydar Baba) was written by Iranian poet Mohammad Hossein Shahriar who had already established himself as a notable Persian poet. This poem, published in Tabriz in 1954 and written in colloquial Azerbaijani, became popular among Iranians and the people of Azerbaijan Republic. In ''Heydar Babaya Salam'', Shahriar expressed his identity as an Iranian Azerbaijani attached to his homeland, language, and culture. Heydar Baba is a hill near Khoshknab, the native village of the poet. When Nikita Khrushchev came to power in 1958 following Stalin's death, the harsh focus on propaganda began to fade, and writers began to branch off in new directions, primarily focused on uplifting prose that would be a source of hope to Azerbaijanis living under a totalitarian regime. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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