Volume 11 - Issue 54
/ June 2022
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2022.54.06.11
How to Cite:
Imamaliyeva, L.M. (2022). Some aspects in Azerbaijanian memoir literature. Amazonia Investiga, 11(54), 109-120.
https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2022.54.06.11
Some aspects in Azerbaijanian memoir literature
AZƏRBAYCAN MEMUAR ƏDƏBİYYATININ BƏZİ ASPEKTLƏRİ
Received: June 28, 2022 Accepted: July 30, 2022
Written by:
Imamaliyeva Leyla Majid50
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3081-7743
Web of Science ResearcherID
GOJ-8875-2022
Abstract
The aim of the article is to review the works of
Azerbaijani writers who wrote in the memoir
genre, to identify and analyze the elements that
reflect the socio-historical and literary-cultural
environment in the memoirs of each author we
study. The study used the method of analysis of
documentary materials related to the historical
methodology, as well as the historical and
historical-comparative method. The works of
well-known figures of literature and culture in
Azerbaijani, Russian and world literature, as well
as travelers and journalistic memoirists: road
records, memoirs were taken as a theoretical base
and comparative-welcoming method was used in
this process. The novelty of the research. The
article examines the memoirs of writers living in
exile, both in Azerbaijan and abroad, as the texts
belonging to the autobiographical and
biographical type of fiction, emphasize
imagination and subjectivity in the works,
containing reality. Discussion. In the works of
Azerbaijani memoir writers to analyze and
identify elements of memoirists reflecting the
socio-historical environment; elements of the
literary and cultural environment; to identify in
the analyzed works the reflection of events
through memory; to identify the connection
between memory and history in the analyzed
works.
Key words: memoirist relies, memoirs differ,
memoir literature, Azerbaijan memoir literature,
reflection of the environment in memoirs.
Introduction
In the present article, an attempt is made to
consider the works of some prominent writers of
50
Doctor of science of Philology, Baku Slavic University Baku, Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan, who based their work on the genre of
memoirs, the factors that reflect the socio-
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historical and literary-cultural environment in
each of their memoirs are identified and
analyzed. The influence of the social, literary and
cultural environment of foreign countries was
assessed, the works of authors and their work
were analyzed. Along with Azerbaijani memoirs,
the author included as a comparison the works of
famous literary and cultural figures in Russian
and world literature, as well as the memoirs of
travelers and journalists. For the first time in
Azerbaijani literary criticism, the memoirs of
writers who lived in exile were considered as
texts related to autobiographical and biographical
types of fiction, issues of imagination and
subjectivity, which contain elements of reality in
their works, were brought to the fore. Analyzes
and refinements were carried out in the works of
Azerbaijani memoirists of different periods, the
finest components of these memoirs were
identified, reflecting the socio-historical
environment. The subtleties of the literary and
cultural environment are noted, the events in the
analyzed works are identified through memories.
The connection of memories with historical
reality was expressed in these works.
Recently, interest in memoir literature has
increased. Memories, diaries, autobiographies of
those who witnessed the turning points in culture,
politics and history attract special attention. The
assessment of the difficult time by those who
were directly involved in what was happening,
like, perhaps, nothing else clearly illuminates the
true course of events. Such a turning point in
Russian history and culture was the end of the
19th - the first two decades of the 20th century.
As soon as the ideological obstacles were
removed, attention to the heroes of art and the
new culture of the Silver Age increased, and this
time of manifestation of the genius of Russian
culture and thought came before us in all its
fullness and diversity. And although over the past
twenty years there has been steady research
interest in the culture of the Silver Age, many
“white pages” in the history of the artistic life of
that time remain unfilled, which makes the
appeal to the declared topic scientifically
relevant.
Review of literature on this topic
Esat Jamal Paker in his book - “In our political
history, forty years of foreign memories” and
Eyup Durukan in a book- “A lifetime in the
diaries” depicted in small details both the
political and spiritual characteristics of the period
they lived (Paker, 2020; Durukan, 2020).
Craig Howes wrote an interesting article about
the memory, emphasizing that it has a wide
range: “Since 1990, “life writing” has become a
frequently used covering term for the familiar
genres of biography, autobiography, memoir,
diaries, letters, and many other forms of life
narrative. Initially adopted as a critical
intervention informed by post-structuralist,
postmodernist, postcolonial, and especially
feminist theory of the 1970s and 1980s, the term
also refers to the study of life representation
beyond the traditional literary and historical
focus on verbal texts, encompassing not only
other media-film, graphic narratives, online
technologies, performance-but also research in
other disciplines-psychology, anthropology,
ethnic and Indigenous studies, political science,
sociology, education, medicine, and any other
field that records, observes, or evaluates lives”
(Howes, 2020).
In Anton Pervushin’s book “Cosmic mythology.
From the Martian Atlanteans to the lunar
conspiracy” we read: “Have I managed to
implement “all my projects?” Not yet. Fear God,
I’m still a relatively young man! You can say that
I have just started my literary career- and it’s not
a fact that in a couple of years I will be writing
about the same things that I am writing about
today” (Pervushin, 2019, p.4).
Many memoirs of the leaders of the Silver Age
were published, written by them already in exile.
These publications provide an additional
opportunity to study the culture of not only the
Silver Age, but also the Russian Diaspora,
building a holistic picture of the history of
Russian culture (Litsuk & Litsuk. 2014, p.130).
“Despite the fact that the biographical genre is
always popular with the reader, nevertheless it
remains undeservedly bypassed in the research
literature: there are no developments where, from
the standpoint of modern achievements of
philosophy and methodology of humanitarian
knowledge, the features of biographical narration
would be highlighted (reliability criteria,
specificity of biographical tradition letters, the
interdisciplinary nature of biographical
knowledge)” (Valevskiy, 1995, p. 32) ... It is
difficult to disagree with this thesis of one of the
theorists of memoiristics. Of course, the
development of a biographical method in the
history and theory of culture, which expands the
boundaries of scientific research in cultural
studies, is urgent.
Memoiristics is the experience of dialogue at
various levels: the dialogue of cultures, times,
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mentalities, etc. Modern theory and history of
culture cannot ignore such important sources as
memoirs, since they reveal new aspects of
cultural studies. Memoiristics are always
dialogical: dialogue with oneself, dialogue with
an unknown reader, dialogue with a descendant.
“If we are not given an exhaustive understanding
of the past and the present, then we can realize
our inseparable unity with them. This feeling
grows from penetration into great historical
events to the same extent as from empathy for the
small and smallest aspects of life ... The history
reflected in one person, in his life, everyday life,
gesture, is isomorphic to the history of mankind.
They are reflected in each other and are cognized
through each other” (Lotman, 1994, p. 389).
Memoir literature does not often become the
subject of cultural analysis, which has its own
distinctive characteristics in comparison with
historical or literary methods. “Thus, disputes
that are important for literary scholars about the
principles of intra-genre classification, formal
features of “types”, “genre varieties” of memoir
literature, and even the presence or absence of an
aesthetic principle in it in cultural research
acquire a secondary meaning. Its problem field
includes the entire body of literature based on
such an important cultural category as “social
memory”: these are artistic, philosophical and
journalistic works written in the genre of
personal diaries, letters or travel notes, and
actually memoirs, autobiography, confessions,
diaries, correspondence, literary portraits and
documentary sketches” (Sirotina, 2002, p.14)
Memoir literature can be grouped according to
the principles of genre stratification.
1. Encyclopedic memoirs are usually various
kinds of reference books, dictionaries,
personal encyclopedias, chronicles. A
characteristic feature of such texts is a
scrupulous presentation of the material, but
at the same time it remains important that
autobiography and memoirs as such are
reconstructions of the history of personal
individuality, and this makes such memoirs
interesting, and not boring formal
presentation of material, facts, figures. In
Daniel Defoe’s book “The Diary of the
Plague Year” we read: “It was the beginning
of September 1664, when I, like my
neighbors, learned from idle conversations
that the plague had returned to Holland
again. Some claimed that they brought it
there from Italy, others that it came from the
Levant along with goods that arrived on
Turkish ship” (Defoe, 2021, p.6). As you can
see, memoir literature also plays the role of
an encyclopedia of famous historical events.
2. Historical (or historical-scientific) memoirs.
Essays of this kind are characterized by an
orientation towards the scientific
presentation of the material, documentary
confirmation of the conclusions. In this case
(as, incidentally, in other genres of memoirs,
but in this case most of all) the author is
faced with the problem of biographical
reconstruction, which can be represented as
a series of the following stages: 1) an act and
a situation; 2) biographical fact;
3) biographical explanation; 4) ethical
obligations; 5) narrative visualization.
The expedition of the Norwegian Thor
Heyerdahl, undertaken in 1047, still remains an
example of bold scientific daring and
magnificent memoirs. The author in his book
“Journey on “Kon-Tiki” writes: “After the war, I
became interested in the interaction of cultures,
which occurred due to the migration of peoples.
To prove my own theory that native Americans
could settle the islands of Polynesia, I went on a
trip” (Heyerdahl, 2020, p. 72).
3. A portrait memoir is a story about specific
figures, for example, culture. The main
purpose of such memoirs is to give a
spiritual portrait of the character. In this
case, the author of memoirs takes the
position of a biographer and faces a problem
that is always relevant for a biographer -
where is the line between science and art in
biography? Moreover, in most cases, the
situation is complicated by the fact that in
relation to the described personalities the
author of the memoir’s experiences (or felt
that he also does not remain without a trace)
certain feelings. Fiction memoirs are
fictional. This group of memoirs requires a
special reservation. In the history of Silver
Age memoirs, memoirs combining reality
and fiction were very popular. An example
of this is the works of Andrei Bely (Litsuk &
Litsuk, 2014, p.72).
Gloria Marie Steinem created her portrait in her
memoirs. The recognized leader of the feminist
movement of the 60s-70-s, G.M. Steinem, mixes
travel notes and memoristics in her memoirs. An
example of this is her work “My life on the
Road”. She writes in her memoirs: “I have
dedicated my life to the struggle so that every
woman can free herself from the clutches of
gender attitudes and rules. This is the essence of
real feminist: to evaluate a person by his abilities,
achievements and aspirations, and not based on
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gender” (Steinem, 2021, p. 43).
Another example of portrait memoirism: in just a
few weeks, the book “Castle of Glass” turned a
young journalist Janet Walls into one of
America’s most popular authors. She writes in
her memoirs: “For many years I hid my past until
I realized that only by freeing mu self and move
on” (Walls, 2021, p.33).
The issues of memoirism were widely discussed
in the introductions and reports of the
International Scientific Conference held in
Yekaterinburg. It was noted that the traditions of
memoirism of the late 19th and early 20th
centuries continued in the post-Soviet periods in
the work of the intelligentsia of Russia
(Glavatsky, 2004, 278 p.).
Questions of memoirism were widely discussed
in the introductions and reports of the
International Scientific Conference held in
Yekaterinburg. It was noted that the traditions of
memoirism of the late 19th and early 20th
centuries continued in the post-Soviet periods in
the work of the Russian intelligentsia (Glavatsky,
2004).
Questions are also considered in the works of
FE Ismailov, which describes two types of
female author's consciousness in Russian poetry
of the Silver Age in the space of world culture
(Ismailova, 2008).
An interesting approach is observed in
S.V. Kovyrshina, where the author notes that
philosophical autobiography as a product of
spiritual creativity, as a special genre of
discourse and narration of the Silver Age era
(Kovyrshina, 2004).
In her analytical work, M. L. Lebedeva, where
she describes the archetypes of Russian and
world culture from V. V. Rozanov's book "The
Apocalypse of Our Time", notes the importance
of memoir literature in the development of the
world cultural environment (Lebedeva, 2008).
In the work of G.V. Efendieva "Deceptively
uncomplicated" dedicated to the poetic world of
the poetess Larisa Andersen, where the author
describes the memoir literary environment of
Russian Harbin (Efendieva, 2019).
The methods and methodology of the research
The study used the method of analysis of
documentary materials related to the historical
methodology, as well as the historical and
historical-comparative method. The works of
well-known figures of literature and culture in
Azerbaijani, Russian and world literature, as well
as travelers and journalistic memuarists: road
records, memoirs were taken as a theoretical base
and comparative-welcoming method was used in
this process.
Result
Memoir literature is one of the main genres of art.
Examples of this genre are based on the memory
of individuals. Memoirs differ from other written
sources in the way they reflect the past. It is with
the help of memory that important historical facts
are reflected through the description of the details
of the memoirist's daily activities and the people
around him. Memoirs differ from the chronicles
of modern events in the way that the author's
image comes to the fore with his dreams and
personality. Covering the entire life of the author,
often important events, and sometimes many
periods, memoirs belong to people who have
played a prominent role in history. There may be
many things that do not find their place in official
work that can be observed by contemporaries and
passed on to future generations in the writings of
contemporaries and witnesses. Often a small sign
sheds light on the main motive and intention of a
big event.
Thus, memoir literature is an author's written
work about the past in one form or another.
Memoirs, which approach fiction, especially
family chronicles and various types of historical
fiction, are distinguished by their exact reflection
of the truth. A memoir is a person, whose
participant’s memory reflects the events and
facts of the past individually, in a subjective way.
Making notes can be done both in the course of
events and after a certain period of time. The
memoirist relies mainly on his own memory,
reflecting the events as he remembers them. He
does not set out to study historical facts. In rare
cases, some of the first meetings are lost from
memory, the logical connection between the facts
is lost. In this regard, the memoirist has to use
other sources.
Memoirs differ from other works in that the
author's personality is highlighted by his inner
world. The most common form of memoir
literature is diaries. Diaries are notes about the
author's personal life. Biographies of memoir
literature reflect important events and changing
moments in a person's life. Identity is taken as the
main object for biographies. Memoirs are a
relatively complex form of memoir literature.
Here the author has the opportunity to cover
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more areas. Memories enrich the history of
literature, especially the genre of memoirs, with
one or another valuable selected material, and
thus have a special significance.
Memoirs can often be in the form of business
documents. Typically, official documents
created on the author's own initiative have the
character of a memoir, in which they hold a
certain position, look at their past service, justify
themselves at a high level, and finally give a
certain social, political, military, or any other
condition that arises interest. However, in all
these coincidences, the specialization of working
documents as memoirs is possible only when the
author's past life and events are covered with his
participation. The tool set by the author as an
experimental goal is of great importance for the
department that created the document as a result
of his request. One of the main features is that
most parts of these documents are rich with
memoir texts.
Presentation of the main material. The history
of the authors giving various information about
themselves, their period and contemporaries in
their works is ancient. The time past and interest
in these issues grew. From this point of view,
autobiographical information attracts more
attention in the works of XIX century authors.
Autobiographical information is given more
space in the works of many prominent
representatives of Azerbaijani literature of this
period. One of them is a well-known figure of the
literature of that period, Abbasgulu aga
Bakikhanov (1794-1847) a person with
encyclopedic knowledge. The author's work
“Flight of Dreams” is especially noteworthy.
Bakikhanov wrote that he traveled here from
Russia to Poland and stayed in Warsaw for
several months. He says that he is helpless in
describing the beautiful Warsaw and that it is
impossible to describe the city in words and
recommends seeing it visually. The work lights a
certain period of the poet's life and describes the
days spent by the author in Warsaw, the banquets
he attended, and the customs and traditions there.
The work was written in the spirit of patriotism.
Thus, in the author's opinion, his village Amsar
is much more superior to large cities, and this is
especially emphasized at the end of the poem.
A. Bakikhanov gave the reason for writing many
of his works in that work itself. For example, he
explains the reason for writing Qanuni-Qudsi:
“During my travels, I met different peoples,
increased my knowledge, and saw in myself the
talent to write in the Persian language. I wanted
to make a copy as a service to the homeland and
the youth” (Bakikhanov, 1991, p.143).
A. Bakikhanov gave his full biography at the end
of his work “Gulustani-Iram”. The author
pointed out that he was born on June 10, 1794,
began studying at the age of 7, learned Arabic
and other subjects for 10 years in Guba, was
appointed to public office at the invitation of
General Yermolov, learning Russian in Tbilisi
(Tbilisi) he was able to get acquainted with
various sciences and peoples. A. Bakikhanov
writes that “While in Tiflis, I took up the study of
the Russian language and through it I got
acquainted with European education. Always
staying with the chiefs, I examined Shirvan,
Armenia, Dagestan, Circassia, Georgia, Anatolia
and Azerbaijan. Everywhere I got to know the
area and scientists. During the Turkish and
Persian wars, as well as at the conclusion of
peace, I had the honor to be with the Holiest
Prince Paskevich. In 1833, I travelled along the
Caucasian line, Don land, Little Russia, Great
Russia, Livonia, Lithuania and Poland. I got
acquainted with government officials and people
known in the field of science or art. I saw many
things interesting for the heart and mind and tried
to make use of them” (Bakikhanov, 1991,
p. 206).
A. Bakikhanov and A.S. Griboyedov had
friendly relations. In his “Road Notes” he noted
that A. Bakikhanov acquainted him with many
cultural monuments. Griboyedov, who visited
many parts of Azerbaijan, gave interesting
information about Azerbaijan and its people in
his memoirs and letters, noting that he was more
interested in the cultural monuments of
Nakhchivan. Griboyedov's interest in the East, its
poetry and language, also influenced
Kuchelbecker, and this acquaintance was made
through Bakikhanov.
During his trip to the Caucasus, Count Suzanneni
was accompanied from Guba to Baku by
Bakikhanov, who introduced the historical
monuments to the count. He praised the author of
“Gulustani-Iram” as a prominent scholar in the
field of history in his book “Travel Memories”,
which criticized Russia's colonial policy in the
Caucasus.
According to Bestujev-Marlinsky's diaries, he
was in Guba in early April 1834, but since
Bakikhanov was in St.Petersburg at that time,
their meeting took place in 1837 in Tbilisi
(Georgia). F.Bodenstedt also praised
A. Bakikhanov as a poet, scientist and expert in
his work in "A Thousand and One Days in the
East".
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The works of Mirza Fatali Akhundzade (1812-
1878), another prominent representative of the
19th century Azerbaijani literature, are also rich
in interesting information that illuminates his
time, life and work. There is a biography of his
writing written in Persian and Russian languages
at the Institute of Manuscripts named after
Mohammad Fuzuli of National Academy of
Sciences of Azerbaijan (NASA). In “Memories
of Istanbul”, M.F. Akhundzade talks about the
interview he conducted with statesmen on his
way to Istanbul for the new alphabet and shows
to whom he presented “Tamsilat” and booklets
on the new alphabet. "In his memoirs, the author
described his meeting with a number of
statesmen during his victory in Istanbul and his
interview with a Greek named Alexander, one of
the participants in the discussion of the new
alphabet” (Akhundzade, 2005, p. 218). In
another biography of M.F. Akhundzade, the main
points of his life and activity are covered, and
efforts are made to create a new alphabet. The
writer enumerates the beautiful features of
Mirza Yusif khan, consul of the Iranian state in
Tbilissi (Georgia), son of Fatali Shah Gajar,
prince Jalaleddin Mirza and Agha Alakbar of
Tabriz and concludes his biography with the
following words: “Apart from these three people,
I have many friends and like-minded people. If I
count, the subject will be extended”
(Akhundzade, 2005, p. 220).
Ismayil bey Kutkashenli (1809-1861), one of the
founders of the 19th century Azerbaijani realist-
enlightenment literature, went on a pilgrimage to
Mecca in 1852 with his wife Bika. A year and a
half of travel led to the publication of
“Safarname”. The work is written in diary form.
A “Safarname” is a travel note written during a
trip, or more precisely, a travelogue. This work
also reveals interesting information about the
customs and traditions and life of various Eastern
peoples. The work is written in the language of
the author himself, i.e the first person. Here the
author gives valuable information about the
cities, villages, their nature, history, occupation
of the population, as well as his grandfather Haji
Sharif Sultan. I. Kutkashenli describes how they
entered Shami-Sharif on the 16th day of the
month of Safar as follows: “There are many
things in the world that people want, and their
goals are different. Therefore, under the burning
day of the inner Hijaz, we longed for fog, clouds,
and rain, and we longed for the burning sand and
dust to be moist. They all succeeded. At two
o'clock in the morning, in such a place, we
demanded the openness of the air and the dryness
of the road, so that we could enter Shami-Sharif,
which we reached with enthusiasm. The truth is
that it rained for an hour in Gadamgah, made our
clothes wet through and the road muddy and left
us wandering” (Kutkashenli, 2005, p. 224).
Jalil Mamedkulizade (1869-1932) work
“Xatiratim” (“My Memory”) is one of the
interesting examples of Azerbaijani memoir
literature. The manuscript of the work is kept in
the private archive fund of the Institute of
Manuscripts. Written in an independent linesome
words, sentences, and sometimes an entire
paragraph are abbreviated in the manuscript. The
memoir is written in purple ink on a white, gold
office notebook in the Arabic alphabet in the
Azerbaijani language. The notebook is
unbounded. The words “My memories from
childhood to the magazine “Molla Nasreddin”
written in Russian are marked on the first page
with Mirza Jalil's own handwriting and signature.
The memoirs preserved in the writer's personal
fund under the title “Biography” are a
continuation of the memoir “Xatiratim” (“My
Memory”). The title of this copy – “Biography”
was later written in blue pencil and separated
from the first part – “My Memory”. The
palaeographic features of both parts are the same
and one is a continuation of the other.
The essence of the work “My Memory” is the
author's struggle against the dark world. “The
dark world” has destroyed many of Jalil
Mamedkulizade younger contemporaries in his
terrible bosom. They could not overcome the
dark environment. Jalil Mamedkulizade fought a
consistent and courageous battle with the dark
world and defeated it.
Each literary figure grows on a certain historical
background. J. Mamedkulizade legacy was
created and developed on the basis of
M.F. Akhundzade literary school. Before
J. Mamedkulizade, democratic ideas were highly
expressed in Azerbaijani literature in the image
of M.F. Akhundzade. Based on these ideas,
A. Hagverdiyev and N. Vazirov brought
literature closer to the life of the people. After
M.F. Akhundzade, the greatest democrat was
J. Mamedkulizade (Molla Nasraddin), the great
exponent of the new quality of democracy in the
field of literature.
The work “Xatiratim” (“My Memory”) consists
of two parts: the first part describes the writer's
childhood, and the second part describes his
youth. The first part itself consists of sections
entitled “Darkness”, “Namaz” (“Prayer”), “Dead
Bouquet”, “Joy Prayer”, “Night Prayers”, and
“Fasting”. The author of the memoir knew the
names of the prayers, how many parts they were
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divided into, which prayer should be performed
before, and which prayer should be performed
after. While studying at Mullah Bagir's school
little Jalil was one of the favorite students of his
teacher. In his memoirs, Mirza Jalil made a great
generalization by creating an image of his uncle
Haji, and in this type he summed up the
characteristics of the believers of the time -
mullahs and clerics.
In the second part of the memoir, we see that the
writer passed from childhood to adolescence.
Coming to Tbilisi (Georgia) in December 1903,
Jalil became a resident of this city. No force can
separate him from this environment anymore.
The main reason for Mamedkulizade stay in
Tbilisi is probably related to the “Mailbox” story.
As the editor of “Sharqi-Rus” newspaper
Mohammad agha Shakhtakhtli liked Novruzali's
funny and sad life very much. J. Mamedkulizade
wrote about it in his memoirs: “While reading
“Mailbox”, Mohammad agha started laughing
with such a shout that it attracted the attention of
non-bread eaters. I was watching the colorful fish
floating in the nearby pool. And I remember very
well that when Muhammad agha laughed, the
fish jumped into the water so that it seemed that
even those small animals laughed at Novruzali’s
simplicity and foolishness” (Mamedkulizade,
2004, p. 52).
Thus, at M.Shakhtakhtli’s suggestion,
J. Mamedkulizade remained in Tbilisi (Georgia)
and began working in the “Sherqi-Rus (Eastern-
Russian)” newspaper. He speaks enthusiastically
about the newspaper and with great gratitude to
its publisher M.Shakhtakhtli. So, it is this
newspaper that takes him to the world of
journalism. Thanks to this newspaper,
J. Mamedkulizade learned the techniques of
publishing, gained great experience and it
helped him in the future.
Finally, an event that surprised
J. Mamedkulizade took place, and he wrote about
it with surprise, joy and envy. This is due to the
fact that a rooster was photographed in an issue
of the Russian-language magazine “Kukureku”.
The head of the rooster was the head of Nicholas.
His throat and body were rooster. What surprised
Mirza Jalil was that it was not possible to ridicule
the ruler of the time. The writer did not believe
that this was a dream or the truth. It was
gratifying to see that the freedom of the pen had
reached such a point. His jealousy was mixed
with sadness. Mamedkulizade envied other
nations. Because they painted the ruler of the
time, resembled him to a rooster. Mirza Jalil was
sad. Because he and his pen pals were not even
allowed to criticize the tricks of a dervish, the
lamentation of a mourner.
Along with the beginning of his editorial career
in the memoir “My Memory”, Mamedkulizade
talked about the history of the “Molla Nasreddin”
collection and the difficulties encountered in this
way. The first issue of the magazine was his
future work program. M.Jalil attached great
importance to this issue and commented on his
materials in detail in his memoirs.
J. Mamedkulizade work “My memory” is a
classic example of Azerbaijani memoir literature.
The memoir reflects the writer's childhood and
youth on the one hand, and the emergence of the
“Molla Nasreddin” collection on the other with
exact relation to the artist. This memoir is of great
importance in the study of the history of
twentieth-century Azerbaijani literature, the
press and public opinion in general. “My
Memory” was a guide to all the memoirs written
after it.
The memoir heritage of Yusif Vazir
Chemenzeminli (1887-1943), who tried his hand
at all types of memoir genres, wrote “Diary” and
“Biography”, “20 years of my life” and “My
life”, is also connected with his public, literary
and journalistic activity. As well as being a very
valuable historical source.
While reading the memoir “20 years of my life”
by Y.V. Chemenzeminli, who had a rich archive,
it is impossible not to admire the author's writing
culture and outlook. It tells about the history of
Shusha, where Y.V. Chemenzeminli was born,
wedding customs, geographical structure,
national composition, economic situation,
Novruz holiday, musicologists, writers. It is
known from the memoirs that Ahmad bey
Agaoglu, Hashim bey Vazirov, Abdurrahim bey
Hagverdiyev, enlightened intellectuals of the
time, visited Yusif Vazir's father Mirbaba, who
knew Oriental mugam very well, and listened to
his conversations with great admiration.
In general, in addition to his life, environment
and creativity, Y.V. Chemenzeminli’s memoirs
provide us with interesting information about
writers, poets, prose writers, statesmen of the
XIX-XX centuries, as well as other people
belonging to different strata of Azerbaijan-
mullahs, gazis, mourners, teachers, doctors and
others. The author's memoirs are the most
valuable source in terms of studying his
epistolary heritage and artistic activity. In the
memoirs, we come across interesting information
about Yusif Vazir’s elder brother Abulhasan
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Vazirov. Born in 1880, he received an excellent
education for that time, and in addition to his
native language, he knew Russian, Turkish,
Persian, German, and French. Many intellectuals
of Shusha learned Russian from him. While
studying at the Shusha Realni school, Abulhasan
focused on the education of his younger brother
Yusif. His first teacher of Russian was his brother
Abulhasan. His father, Mirbaba, paid them every
week to encourage them to study. Yusif Vazir
writes about this in his memoirs: “... My brother's
salary was increased to an abbot. At the end of
the year, my brother would put the money in a
special box hanging on the wall and subscribed
to several Russian magazines. I also followed his
path” (Chemenzeminli, 2005, p. 391).
We come across many articles about Abulhasan
who played a certain role in Yusif Vazir’s
education, had an in-depth guide to literature,
especially Russian literature, a rich library,
literary activity and so on. The memoirs about
Yusif Vazir's personal collection includes some
of Abu al-Hasan's writings and an autograph of a
24-page play entitled “Haji Kazim the
Merchant”.
In the memoirs of Y.V. Chemenzeminli,
“Diaries” attract more attention. The author's
personal archive preserves two diaries written in
the Azerbaijani and Russian languages. The first
diary covers the events of 1907 in Baku, Shusha,
Ashgabat, and the second covers the events of
1908-1909 in Baku, Ashgabat and St. Petersburg.
His diary, written in a sentimental spirit in 1908
when he was in the 6th grade at the Baku Real
School, is dominated by grievances about life.
According to him, the closer happiness is to him,
the greater his suffering. Happiness never smiled
on his face. He writes that I have been living this
life for 22 years, but I have never found peace of
mind. Wherever I go, misery overwhelms me.
Neither the government nor public affairs
provided anything for Yusif Vaziri. In his diary
of January 7, 1908, Yusif Vazir, who felt the
talent to write in spite of the difficult
circumstances, showed that he was interested in
literature, wanted to study European classics and
was surrounded by valuable sources. He also
drew pictures in black and green on some pages
of the notebook. His diary reflects the interesting
views on women, upbringing, morals, beauty,
and education. Here women, their infidelity,
men, their often degrading in women’s way, the
destruction of the inner world of man by wealth,
and the vital examples of such issues are
discussed. While writing about women and love,
Y.Vazir gave examples from Lev Tolstoy.
One of the perfect examples of XX century
Azerbaijani memoir literature is Mammad Said
Ordubadi’s work (1872-1950) “My life and
environment”. The memoir “My Life and
Environment” is of great importance in
preserving socio-historical, literary and cultural
events and transmitting them to future
generations. At the same time, these memoirs are
a valuable source for studying the extent to which
the events reflected in the author's works resonate
with real events, the basic rules and period he
used, as well as the identities of the people with
whom he communicated.
One of M.S. Ordubadi's biographical documents
kept in his personal archive fund was written in
the Azerbaijani language, in the Latin alphabet,
and the other in Russian for submission to an
unknown department. M.S. Ordubadi writes in
his memoirs: “There is a feature of my writing
that I am accustomed to from my youth to the
present day, which is not to be stuck on one topic.
Because working on a topic for years deprives
the writer of the opportunity to work on new
topics that our lives require. That is why, when I
started writing the novel “Foggy Tabriz” in 1927,
I was working on novels “Secret Baku” and so
on. In the first half of 1940, when I finished the
last fourth book of the novel “Foggy Tabriz” and
gave it to Azerneshr, I was also continuing a
large-scale historical novel that I started in the
39s. This novel covers the period, life and literary
activity of the great Azerbaijani poet Nizami”
(Ordubadi, 2012).
In connection with the novel “Sword and Pen”
M.S. Ordubadi reviewed and studied many
sources, wrote articles about N. Genjevi’s period,
life and work, his environment and other issues.
M.S. Ordubadi's work “My life and
environment” kept in the personal archive fund
has an important position in the history of XX
century Azerbaijani memoir literature. In his
memoirs, the memoirist talks about his difficult
childhood, his difficult and deprived youth, and
the difficult years he spent in prison. “My life and
environment” reflect the socio-political and
economic situation of the city of Ordubad, where
the writer was born in the late XIX - early XX
centuries, and other cities where he lived. An
interesting and valuable feature of such memoirs
is that the author's life and work, as well as
information about his period and environment
are collected here as a reliable source.
In his memoirs, M.S. Ordubadi mentions the
names of schools, mosques, city officials,
dervishes, shepherds and murderers, Ordubad
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seyids, comedians and jokers, mourners,
individual districts, female’s and male’s
nicknames, and the price of food.
“My life and environment” is a valuable source
in the study of the revolutionary, literary and
social activities of M.S. Ordubadi. First of all, the
memoir, along with the study of the author's
revolutionary activity, lightens certain pages in
the history of the revolutionary movement in
Azerbaijan, especially in the south of this
country.
The memoir “My Life and Environment” reflects
the gravity of the socio-economic and political
situation in Nakhchivan and Ordubad in the 19th
century with real facts: “Beginning in 1838, great
confusion began not only in Ordubad, but in
Nakhchivan in general. Firstly, sectarian and
religion struggles intensified, and secondly, the
change of Iranian law to the new invading
Russian law caused the people to disperse and
flee to Iran and fall into poverty. Even those
years, the economic and social situation was
completely ruined due to the resettlement of
Armenians from Iran to the Caucasus, especially
the placement of 266 houses brought from
Maragha and Tabriz in sparsely populated areas
such as Ordubad” (Ordubadi, 2016, p. 15).
We learn from the memoirs that at that time
12,000 people in Ordubad were in a difficult
situation.
The memoirs of Ummulbanu Asadullayeva
(1905-1992), nicknamed Banin, one of the
brightest representatives of the Azerbaijani
emigration literature of the XX century, are also
an integral part of the Azerbaijani memoir
literature. Ban is the granddaughter of Baku
millionaires Musa Nagiyev and Shamsi
Asadullayev. She lost her mother as a baby and
grew up with her sisters under the care of a
German woman, Anna. Having received an
excellent education as a child and learning
several languages, Ummulbanu moved to Turkey
and then to France in 1924 after the Sovietization
of Azerbaijan.
The depictions in the memoirs, especially the
depictions of nature, made the work even more
beautiful. For example, the writer described her
approach to Paris as follows: “The warm air
brought the smell of fields to us. Browned by the
rising sun, crossed by even rows of trees, the
surroundings, wooded hills, lakes and rivers were
awakening in the transparent morning light.
Motionless clouds seemed to be waiting for the
sunrise to start moving in the sky. ... Yes, it was
the best part of my life. Now, as I approached the
wonderful city, where endless possibilities
awaited me, I rejected my earthly past, I threw it
off, as if embarrassing uncomfortable vestments.
I walked towards my life - new, free, open to
everything; and from this “once” I took with me
only the most beautiful part of it, what happened
in the clouds” (Banin, 2016, p. 270).
Nadezhda Golubtsova in the story “The Former”,
as Banin, gives detailed information about the
events that took place. The story contains frank
and poignant memories of the writer’s childhood.
In her story she writes: “Throughout history, the
children of the post-war generation have been
living whit difficulties” (Golubtsova, 2021,
p. 29).
Banin's “Caucasian Days” consists of two parts.
Part I ends with the overthrow of the Democratic
Republic of Azerbaijan, part II ends with the
author's visit to Paris. The writer's days in Paris
are written in her memoirs “Paris Days”. It
depicts the author working as a mannequin in a
Parisian fashion house, living alone in a small
room, the freedom she has dreamed of for years,
the improvement of her financial situation, and
her heartbeat.
The memoir contains lines about Russian writers
who emigrated to Paris, their thoughts on
emigration, occupations, as well as Caucasian
emigrants. “A dozen members of the Tolstoy
family also lived in Paris, and at first they were
so desperately poor that when a film based on the
novel “Anna Karenina” was shown in Paris in the
twenties, the writer's daughter Tatyana Tolstaya-
Sukhotina could not see it, she had nothing to buy
ticket” (Banin, 2016, p.386).
There are many aspects of the memoir genre in
the literature that define it in different ways and
at different levels. However, the most important
and undisputed in this definition is the story of
the past, based on the author's personal
experience and personal memory. Banin's
memoirs reflect her days in the Caucasus and
Paris. However, the author sometimes wrote such
details in her memoirs that it was as if these
events took place yesterday. In fact, there is a
time interval of fifty years or even more between
the time the events took place and the time they
were recorded. And when she remembers some
of her actions fifty years later, the author is
horrified and writes: “I asked myself, what is the
use of my youth and Parisian elegance, and most
importantly, of the freedom I finally won? Why
was there nothing in me other than this endless
change of mental states, except for the confusion
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of feelings, conflicting impulses. As if on a
mountain route, I flew to the bottom of the
deepest abyss, then ascended to the peaks;
alternately experiencing either joy or aversion to
everything. It is tiresome to lead the life of a chip
that is worn by restless sea waves, and never,
even in the distance, the shore of serenity will
appear” (Banin, 2016, p. 451).
The novel “Caucasian Days” brings to life the
artistic landscape of the history of Azerbaijan
until the 20th century. The plot line of the
autobiographical work is based on facts and
details about the writer's biography. The novel is
written in a very sincere language, and the events
and stories described are enriched with sad,
fragile shades brought by the lyrical style. For
example: “When I turn back, everything strikes
me. This semi-eastern, semi-German, late-
Russian childhood was exactly mine. Dreamy,
secretive, and rather, an evil girl- this is me. Here
it is and it amazes me. All these memories that
pop up in my memory seem to me borrowed; I
work hard to believe that they were mine. I walk
among them, as a tourist, not as though they are
mine. Baku seems to me a far-fetched dream, a
family-product of my imagination. I return there
sometimes with pleasure, but for the most part
with fear. If I was happy, about a decade ago,
then I stopped being like that” (Banin, 2016,
p. 77).
In other words: “A horrible childhood! I know
that any childhood seems far-fetched. At the
same time, in the strength of the full geographical
and social gap, it seems to me even more unreal.
Nothing more is connected with me: no religion,
from which I departed, no language, because
today I write and think in French, no nationality,
which I have changed, no lost millions. Nobody
and nothing! The past is presented to me as
preparation for the real life” (Banin, 2016, p. 79).
These are the writer’s astonishing confessions
that made the novel “Caucasian days” sincere
and loved by the readers. Thus, Banin describes
the events of the period she witnessed naked,
unadorned, and does not hide anything from the
reader.
“Caucasian Days” realistically revives the
atmosphere in Baku and the way of life of both
aristocratic and lower strata of this environment,
including the early twentieth century, the
republican period, the first years of the overthrow
of the republic, as well as the historical and
political events in Azerbaijan.
In “Caucasian Days”, Banin is proud to be
Eastern, Asian, Azerbaijani, and prefers
ethnographic details and details to acquaint
Western readers with her homeland, Azerbaijan.
The writer longed for her homeland throughout
all her life. In an interview with “Literaturnaya
Gazeta”, one of Russia's most popular
newspapers, Banin said she always followed the
current events in the Caucasus and Azerbaijan,
and in addition to the second edition of
“Caucasian Days” she added that she regretted
not being able to come to Azerbaijan during the
years of emigration.
Conclusions
The article examines the works of Azerbaijani
writers in the memoir genre, analyzes the
memoirs of each author we study, revealing
elements that reflect the socio-historical and
literary-cultural environment. In the works we
researched in the article, the basis of memoirs is
the reflection of events through memory.
Analyzing the works of Azerbaijani writers in the
memoir genre, we have come to the conclusion
that the memories have acquired a new meaning
along with the continuation and development of
past traditions, enriched by the results of each
author's personal creative initiative. Memoir
literature plays an important role in the more
accurate and detailed study of the memoirs of
Azerbaijani writers, their lives and activities, as
well as in the documentary coverage of the socio-
historical and literary-cultural situation of the
period.
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