Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, July 31, 2017
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| Vagif Sultanli, is an Azerbaijani literary writer, critic, translator, and member of Union of Azerbaijani Writers |
PhD in Philology Vagif Sultanli spoke with Voice of America about the "Southern Azerbaijan Prose" anthology, which he co-prepared with the southern Azerbaijani writer and translator İrəc İsmayıl and recently published in Baku. In the interview, he explains that the anthology was created with the aim of bringing attention to literary works written in Iran Azerbaijan, showcasing the existence and culture of its people.
“We chose to highlight prose because traditionally, more examples of poetry are written in Southern Azerbaijan. Poetry is given more preference. Prose is comparatively weaker than poetry, and there are fewer prose writers than poets. Secondly, writing prose requires a deep command of the language,” says the literary scholar.
Sultanli points out that there was no education in the Turkish language in Southern Azerbaijan, and the quality prose examples created in earlier years were mainly in Persian:
"In Southern Azerbaijan, higher quality prose examples were certainly created in Persian in the past. But later, examples written in the native language also began to emerge. This is due to the absence of Turkish schools... Some young people from Southern Azerbaijan live in Northern Azerbaijan or Turkey. Among them, there are those who have received excellent education in Turkish. There are also young people living in Europe who are highly proficient in Turkish. We tried to reflect some of their works as well."
The majority of the works included in the "Southern Azerbaijan Prose" anthology are written in Turkish. However, the translations of works by some prominent figures who wrote in Persian are also published in the book.
The literary scholar explains the criteria for selecting the works included in the anthology:
"There are certain principles in the selection of the anthology. Issues like the topic, craftsmanship, and the extent to which the authors address national matters are taken into account. When we selected the works, we naturally prioritized those written in Turkish. However, we could not overlook the works of figures such as Zeynalabdin Maraghi, Mirza Abdurrahim Talibov, and even Seyid Jafar Pishaveri, who founded the Azerbaijan National Government, as well as Samed Behrangi, Gholamhossein Saidi, and Reza Baraheni, who wrote in Persian. Even though these works are written in Persian, they focus on the Turkish issue and the problems of the Turkish people living in Southern Azerbaijan."
Sultanli emphasizes that the literary works created in Iran Azerbaijan are diverse in genre, which is a very positive characteristic:
"There is diversity in the genres of the works. There are excerpts from novels, short stories, novellas, memoir-style writings, and even works written in compact genres known as miniatures. This diversity in genres shows that literature in Southern Azerbaijan is on the right track. Especially in the works of young writers, we can see modern thinking, contemporary literary movements, and modern approaches."
Sultanli believes that the literary works from Iran Azerbaijan can positively influence both professional and ordinary readers in Azerbaijan (Republic of Azerbaijan):
"Although the lack of education in Turkish has had a negative impact on literary texts, it is not as noticeable in the works of these young writers. They have developed their writing in Turkish, and by benefiting from the information capabilities of the modern world, they have also acquired contemporary thinking. In terms of literary quality, if we set aside the language factor, their works are at the level of literature created in Northern Azerbaijan. Some of their works, in terms of approach, are on par with European works."
He also mentions that readers in Azerbaijan will get to know the lifestyle in Southern Azerbaijan better by reading these works:
"There are works on various topics. Regardless of the quality of the works, the issues raised are very interesting for Northern Azerbaijan as well. Because literature has both an artistic and a spiritual and national dimension. The content of this literature reflects the lifestyle of the people living there. Even though we are one nation, the people are divided, and they are unaware of each other’s culture. Of course, I am not talking about total ignorance."
The literary scholar also mentions that the "Southern Azerbaijan Prose" anthology will be translated into English and published in the United States, as well as prepared in the dialects of other Turkic-speaking communities.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Vaqif Sultanlı: ‘Güney Azərbaycan Nəsri’ antologiyasında xalqın həyat tərzi də əks edilib