Azerbaijan International

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Azerbaijan International
Ailogo.png
Editor Betty Blair
CategoriesCulture
FrequencyQuarterly
Total circulation7,000 [1]
Founded1993
CountryUnited States
Azerbaijan
LanguageEnglish, Azeri
Website AZER.com
ISSN 1075-086X

Azerbaijan International is a magazine that discusses issues related to Azerbaijanis around the world. It was established in 1993 shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union when Azerbaijan gained its independence. Since then, it has been published quarterly in English with occasional articles in the Azerbaijani language in Latin and Arabic scripts. The magazine has offices in Los Angeles and Baku.

Contents

Each issue includes about 100-colored pages and relates to a specific theme. Past themes have included art, music, literature, folklore, architecture, archeology, health, the environment, international relations, business, trends, and transitions. Its target audience is international readers in the business, diplomatic, and academic communities.

Special editions

Several editions have been particularly noteworthy in the history of the magazine. These include research about the discovery and decipherment of the Caucasian Albanian (Old Udi alphabet) in Mount Sinai, Egypt, by Dr. Zaza Aleksidze, [2] Folklore of the Sufi Hamid Cemetery, [3] and the relationship of Maiden Tower to the Winter Solstice. [4] Also the 2006 Tangaroa Pacific Voyage: "Testing Thor Heyerdahl's Theories about Kon-Tiki 60 Years Later." [5]

Vol. 14, No. 1 of the magazine focused on "Literature of Stalinist Repressions," 2006 141 azerbaijan international.jpg
Vol. 14, No. 1 of the magazine focused on "Literature of Stalinist Repressions," 2006

Six issues were dedicated to Azerbaijani literature; specifically, the Spring issues of 1996, [6] 1999, [7] 2004, [8] 2005, [9] and 2011, [10] and 2013. [11] The Literature of Stalinist repressions in Azerbaijan [12] had never been published in English before and is even difficult to find in the Azerbaijani language.

Ali and Nino research

The recent triple edition of the 2011 edition of the magazine (Vol. 15:2-4, 364 pages available in English and in Azerbaijani) deals with the mystery surrounding the identity of the author of the novel Ali and Nino: A Love Story which appeared under the pseudonym Kurban Said, first published in 1937 in German by the Austrian publishing house E.P. Tal. The issue is entitled "Who Wrote Azerbaijan's Most Famous Novel: Ali and Nino? The Business of Literature." [13]

According to Betty Blair, editor of AI and author of the articles, research was carried out over a period of six years (2004–2010) examining documents and materials in 10 languages (Azerbaijani, Russian, English German, French, Italian, Turkish, Georgian, Persian and Swedish). The magazine staff also relied on archival materials in the Azerbaijan Republic State History Archives, Institute of Manuscripts (Baku), Georgian Centre for Manuscripts (Tbilisi), Ukrainian National Archives (Kyiv), ZMO (Center for Modern Oriental Studies, Berlin) and the rare library resources of German, Italian and French journals from the 1930s that are available at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

In the articles, Betty Blair concludes that (1) Azerbaijani writer Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli (1887-1943) is the core author of Ali and Nino as his personal life and works mirror the storyline and issues in the novel. [14] [15] [16] [17] (2) Lev Nussimbaum (Essad Bey) (1905-1942) served primarily as a broker and enhanced passages—especially related to folklore and legendary topics. [18] [19] [20] (3) Essad Bey plagiarized passages from Georgian writer Grigol Robakidze (1881-1962), especially related to travels in Tiflis (Tbilisi) and Iran. [21] (4) Austrian Baroness Elfriede Ehrenfels (1894-1982) registered the pseudonym “Kurban Said” in her own name. [22] [23]

Related Research Articles

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Grigol Robakidze was a Georgian writer, publicist, and public figure primarily known for his prose and anti-Soviet émigré activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shusha District</span> District of Azerbaijan

Shusha District is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the Karabakh Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Khojaly, Lachin, and Khojavend. Its capital and largest city is Shusha. As of 2020, the district had a nominal population of 34,700.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurban Said</span>

Kurban Said is the pseudonym of the author of Ali and Nino, a novel originally published in 1937 in the German language by the Austrian publisher E.P. Tal. The novel has since been published in more than 30 languages. The true identity of the author is in dispute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lev Nussimbaum</span> Jewish writer

Lev Nussimbaum, who wrote under the pen names Essad Bey and Kurban Said, was a writer and journalist, born in Kiev to a Jewish family. He lived there and in Baku during his childhood before fleeing the Bolsheviks in 1920 at the age of 14. In 1922, while living in Germany, he obtained a certificate claiming that he had converted to Islam in the presence of the imam of the Turkish embassy in Berlin. He created a niche for himself in the competitive European literary world by writing about topics that Westerners, in general, knew little about - the Caucasus, the Russian Empire, the Bolshevik Revolution, newly discovered oil, and Islam. He wrote under the name of Essad Bey in German.

Blood and Oil in the Orient was the first book written by Essad Bey, penname for Lev Nussimbaum (1905–42). The book was first published in 1929 when Essad Bey was only 24 years old. During the following eight years (1929–36), 16 books were published under his name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firidun bey Kocharli</span> Azerbaijani writer and literatus

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<i>Ali and Nino</i> 1937 Azerbaijani novel

Ali and Nino is a novel about a romance between a Muslim Azerbaijani boy and Christian Georgian girl in Baku in the years 1918–1920. It explores the dilemmas created by "European" rule over an "Oriental" society and presents a tableau portrait of Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, during the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic period that preceded the long era of Soviet rule. It was published under the pseudonym Kurban Said. The novel has been published in more than 30 languages, with more than 100 editions or reprints. The book was first published in Vienna in German in 1937, by E.P. Tal Verlag. It is widely regarded as a literary masterpiece and since its rediscovery and global circulation, which began in 1970, it is commonly considered the national novel of Azerbaijan. The English translation, by Jenia Graman, was published in 1970.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli</span>

Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli, also spelled Chemenzeminli, born Yusif Mirbaba oghlu Vazirov was an Azerbaijani statesman and writer known for his novels, short stories, essays, and diaries. Evidence points to the fact that Chamanzaminli was the primary core author of the famous romance novel Ali and Nino first published in 1937 in Austria under the pen-name of Kurban Said.

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References

  1. "Azerbaijan International". Ulrichsweb. ProQuest LLC. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  2. Dr. Zaza Aleksidze - "Caucasian Albanian Alphabet - Ancient Script Discovered in the Ashes" - Vol. 11:3 (Autumn 2003).
  3. "Sofi Hamid Cemetery - Life Mirrored in Pastel Colors" - Vol. 13:1 (Spring 2005).
  4. "Baku’s Maiden Tower and the Relationship to Winter Solstice" – Vol. 14:3 (Autumn 2006).
  5. Torgeir Saeverud Higraff with Betty Blair, in Azerbaijan International, Vol. 14:4 (2006), pp. 28-33.
  6. "Contemporary Literature," Vol. 4:1 (Spring 1996)
  7. "Century of Reversals: A Literary Perspective," Vol. 7.1 (Spring 1999)
  8. "Azerbaijani Literature: Passionate Pens in Pursuit of Truth," Vol. 12.1 (Spring 2004)
  9. "The Literature of Stalin's Repressions: And Always Voices Will Ring Out," Vol. 14:1 (Spring 2006)
  10. "Who Wrote Azerbaijan's Most Famous Novel - Ali and Nino? The Business of Literature," Vol. 15:2-4 (2011)
  11. "Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli: His Life, His Works, His Dreams" Vol. 16:1-2 (forthcoming 2013).
  12. "Remembering Stalin," Vol. 13:4 (Winter 2005) and "The Literature of Stalin's Repressions," Vol. 14:1 (Spring 2006).
  13. "15.2 Index - Azerbaijan International - Ali and Nino".
  14. "Frequently Asked Questions about the Authorship of Ali and Nino," in Azerbaijan International, Vol. 15:2-4 (158 questions, 543 endnotes), pp. 52-137.
  15. "101 Reasons Why Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli is the Core Author of 'Ali and Nino,'" Azerbaijan International, Vol. 15:2-4, pp. 262-333.
  16. "Who Was Nino?: Jewish Girl Was Prototype: Yusif Vazirov's Diary Suggests Identity of Nino," Azerbaijan International, Vol. 15:2-4, pp. 254-261.
  17. "Essad Bey as Core Author of Ali and Nino: Seven Reasons Why It Just Ain't So," in Azerbaijan International, Vol. 15:2-4, pp. 180-217.
  18. "Critics: Fact or Fiction? What Essad Bey's Contemporaries Said," in Azerbaijan International, Vol. 15:2-4, pp. 166-179.
  19. "Folklore: What Essad Bey Didn't Know: Portrait of the Caucasus," in Azerbaijan International, Vol. 15:2-4, pp. 218-230.
  20. "'Cut and Paste' Author: Essad Bey's Fingerprints in 'Ali and Nino,'" in Azerbaijan International, Vol. 15: 2-4, pp. 230-251.
  21. Tamar Injia, Ali and Nino – Literary Robbery (Norwalk, Connecticut: IM Books, 2009)
  22. Photos of 1930s German registries with entry of "Kurban Said" shown to be registered in name of Elfriede Ehrenfels in "Frequently Asked Questions," No. 19 and 20, in Azerbaijan International, Vol. 15:2-4, pp. 55-57.
  23. "Who wrote Azerbaijan's most famous novel? News.az (December 3, 2010)