― 27 декабря 2024 г.

Jafar Jabbarli commemorated by TURKSOY on the 125th anniversary of his birthday

The famous author of Azerbaijan Jafar Jabbarli was commemorated by TURKSOY on the  125th anniversary of his  birthday.

On the 125th anniversary of the birth of the prominent representative of 20th century Azerbaijani literature, the famous poet, writer, theatre actor and screenwriter Jafar Jabbarli, a commemoration meeting was held at the International Organisation of Turkic Culture TURKSOY along with the presentation of the  book ‘Selected Theater Plays of Jafar Jabbarli’ published by TURKSOY.

The event, jointly organised by TURKSOY, the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Jafar Jabbarli House Museum and the State Theatre Museum, was attended by the representative of Azerbaijan to TURKSOY Elchin Gafarli, Director of the Azerbaijan Cultural Centre of the Embassy of Azerbaijan Samir Abbasov, Head of the Department of Theatre Directing at the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Fine Arts Prof. Dr. Israfil Israfil, Head of the Department of Department of Contemporary Turkish Dialects and Literature of the Faculty of Language, History and Geography of the Ankara University,  Prof. Dr. Erdoğan Uygur, the  author's granddaughter and Director of the Jafar Jabbarlı House Museum  Gemer Bağağırova,  the Director of the Azerbaijan State Theatre Museum Sevinc Mikayılova on behalf of Jafar Jabbarlı and Atabey Barış, who translated the book from Azerbaijani Turkic language into Turkish.
 

Before the event, which attracted great interest among readers of Azerbaijani literature, an exhibition of photographs reflecting special moments from Jabbarli's life and works was opened in the foyer of TURKSOY.
 

A film about the author's life and literary career was also screened at the meeting held in the Conference Hall.

Greeting the participants on behalf of TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev, Elchin Gafarli said that despite his short life, Jafar Jabbarli managed to become one of the most important figures of contemporary literature of Azerbaijan and the Turkic world.
‘Jabbarli is one of the bright representatives of the dramaturgy of the Turkic world, which began with Mirza Fatali Akhundzade. Jafar Jabbarli's rich and unique literary heritage, enlightened and meaningful artistic life left unforgettable traces in the memories of readers and spectators. His plays have been performed in Azerbaijan and other countries for many years and today his works are included in the repertoire of many theatres... Jabbarli is also known as a poet with his lyrical-romantic and satirical poems. Many beautiful songs have been composed to Jabbarli's lyrical pieces.’ Gafarli, referring to the book published by TURKSOY, said: ’This writer, whom we continue to remember with respect today, played a great role in the development of Azerbaijani theatre and cinema art. TURKSOY, in order to introduce the theatre art of Jafər Jabbarlı to theatre lovers, has prepared a magnificent book by adapting his drama works into Turkish.’
 

Director of the Azerbaijan Cultural Centre Samir Abbasov in his speech stressed that Jabbarli's poems and theater plays stand out with  the richness of language and depth of image, fully reveal the beauty and possibilities of Azerbaijani Turkic language and make a great contribution to the spread and enrichment of the language among the people.  ‘Jabbarli's works also served to preserve our national history, traditions and the past of our people and pass it on to future generations. He is known not only as a writer and scriptwriter, but also as an intellectual who took an active part in the development of Azerbaijani culture. His contribution to the art of theatre played an important role in the formation of Azerbaijani theatre.’
 

Gemer Bagirrova emphasised that Jafar Jabbarli was a person who rendered unique services to Azerbaijani literature. ‘In 1982, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Jafar Jabbarli's birth, a monument was erected and a house museum was opened. At the same time, Jafar Jabbarli was a great Turkist and until the end of his life, he continued to embody this ideology, especially in his works ‘The Conquest of Edirne’ and ‘The Battle of Tripoli’.’ She expressed her gratitude on behalf of Jabbarli family to TURKSOY for organising this event.

The speech was followed by the  ribbon cutting ceremony of the book ‘Jafer Jabbarli's Selected Theater Plays’ was held.
Prof. Dr. Erdoğan Uygur stated that it is not possible to describe the life of the writer in one speech and said as follows:
‘Jabbarli came to the forefront as a poet before he was recognised as a dramaturg and then started to write dramatic works. He is one of the symbolic figures of Azerbaijani literature. There are poems and plays in his life and literary works. Influenced by Mirza Elekber Sabir, he dealt with themes such as social injustice, ignorance and greed in his works. At the same time, he introduced new topics to our literature.’.
 

Prof. Dr. Israfil Israfilov emphasised that Jabbarli did not only strongly appreciate  Turkish language  but also was a  great patriot and one of the founders of Soviet dramaturgy. Stating that he regretted that the works of the author were not performed  in Türkiye, Israfilov said: ‘Jabbarli has very important works, but despite this, it is a fact that none of his works have been staged in Türkiye. I hope that this issue will be taken into consideration by the Azerbaijan Cultural Centre.’
 

Noting that Jabbarli was instrumental in raising a great generation of actors, Israfilov reminded the works of Jafar Jabbarli in a short period of only 35 years and said: ‘I do not know any other personality similar to Jabbarli in the Turkic World. Although 125 years have passed, no other author has emerged to replace Jabbarli.’
 

Sevinc Mikayılova and Atabey Baris spoke about the life and works of Jabbarli and the process of the creation of the book ‘Selected Dramatic Works of Jafar Jabbarli’ published by TURKSOY.