Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

A scientific session dedicated to the 90th anniversary of literary scholar Araz Dadashzade was held at the Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature of ANAS.

Opening the event with introductory remarks, President of ANAS and Director of the Institute of Literature, Academician Isa Habibbeyli, spoke about the importance of commemorating the 90th anniversary of the prominent scholar Araz Dadashzade. He noted that the research conducted by the scholar in the 1970s–1990s of the last century, especially his studies devoted to Molla Panah Vagif, the Karabakh literary environment, and its prominent figures, have gained renewed relevance today, at a time when Karabakh has been liberated from occupation, and that these studies continue to be of great significance for present-day generations as well.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli stated that the monograph written by Araz Dadashzade in the 1970s on the life and work of Molla Panah Vagif is still regarded as one of the most valuable monographic studies about the great poet due to its use of precious sources and archival documents, as well as its strong referencing and analytical approach. He emphasized that Araz Dadashzade’s book “Azerbaijani Lyric Poetry of the 18th Century” holds great scholarly importance as the first comprehensive research work in the country devoted to the literature of an entire epoch.

“Before Araz Dadashzade, Vagif was mentioned only as an optimistic poet. Our researcher, having grasped all the possibilities of Vagif’s realism and its deep philosophy, conducted an in-depth analysis of the underlying layers of this optimism and put forward generalized conclusions. He created a holistic image of Vagif. Not only Vagif, but also other artists of that period were evaluated not merely by highlighting their optimistic aspects, but by reflecting in literature their ideas based on critical realism, their tragic moments, and the entire panorama of their creative work. One of the main principles of Soviet literature was the principle of historical optimism. Soviet literature was oriented toward criticizing the past, including beys and khans, whom it viewed as the main exploiting classes. The critical principle and the principle of historical optimism corresponded to socialist creativity. Araz Dadashzade managed to make his own contributions to the methodology of literary studies by applying a comprehensive approach to Vagif, Vidadi, and, in general, the creative figures of that period,” Academician Isa Habibbeyli emphasized.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli also touched upon Araz Dadashzade’s encyclopedic activity, noting that the scholar had noteworthy contributions in this field as well. He rose to the position of Editor-in-Chief of the Azerbaijan Soviet Encyclopedia and rendered practical service not only to Azerbaijani literary studies, but also to the field of encyclopedistics.

Then, Doctor of Philological Sciences Vagif Yusifli delivered a report titled “The World of Vagif in Araz Dadashzade’s Research,” speaking about the scholar’s contributions to Azerbaijani literary studies.

After that, PhD in Philology Aqshin Dadashzade spoke about the researcher’s literary scholarly activity. He noted that Araz Dadashzade produced serious studies on the works of such writers as Molla Panah Vagif, Molla Vali Vidadi, and Shakir Shirvani, and rendered great services to the fields of literary studies and criticism.

Later, Araz Dadashzade’s daughter, Doctor of Philological Sciences Zumrud Dadashzade, noted in her speech that fundamental depth, thoroughness, and the ability to grasp the essence of everything were among the most prominent qualities characteristic of the creative work of literary scholar Araz Dadashzade. She said that he treated every word with extreme care and passed this quality on to his children as well. One of his most important traits was his ability to systematize. In every task and in his scholarly work, he took into account even the smallest details and organized them systematically.

At the event, Doctor of Philological Sciences Javanshir Yusifli also delivered a report titled “Araz Dadashzade as a Researcher of Azerbaijani Lyric Poetry of the 17th–18th Centuries,” speaking about the scholar’s life path and creative legacy.

A video clip dedicated to the life and work of the prominent scholar was also screened during the event.

In conclusion, speaking on behalf of the family, PhD in Art Studies, Professor Zumrud Dadashzade and PhD in Philology Aqshin Dadashzade expressed their gratitude to the organizers and participants of the event for the respect and attention shown.

Translation by Gulhane Aghayeva, Department of Public Relations, Press, and Information, Presidium of ANAS.

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