Huseyn Arablinski
Encyclopedia
Huseyn Arablinski born Huseynbala Mammad oglu Khalafov (1881, Baku
– 17 March 1919, Baku
), was an Azerbaijan
i actor.
Arablinski's real talent was revealed in 1905, when a troupe of Azeri actors, of which he was a member, was going on a tour to the city of Lankaran
to perform the play Musibat-i Fakhraddin ("Fakhraddin's Tragedy") by Najaf bey Vazirov. It was soon reported that the actor for the main role had fallen ill and could not attend the rehearsals. The role was given to the 24-year old Arablinski, who made an outstanding performance, and in the following years was often chosen for that role. His other stage roles Shah (Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar by A.Hagverdiyev
), Khlestakov (The Government Inspector by N.Gogol
), Heydar bey (Haji Gara by M.F.Akhundov
), Othello (Othello
by W.Shakespeare
), etc. The stage name Arablinski was in fact the surname of one of the young females in the audience. The actor fell in love with her during the troupe's tour to Derbent
in 1906, when she met him shortly after the play to express her admiration of his talent.
Beginning in 1907, Huseyn Arablinski worked as a stage director. In 1916 he starred in the silent movie V tsarstve nefti i millionov ("In the Realm of Oil and Millions", dir. Boris Svetlov) as Lutfali bey.
. However in reality, the actor was killed by his cousin motivated by personal issues. Arablinski's deeply religious family was never in favour of his career choice. Their relationship became even more strained when Huseyn shaved his moustache to facilitate his stage performance as female characters.
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
– 17 March 1919, Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
), was an Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i actor.
Life and career
Born to a poor family, Huseyn Arablinski lost his father at a young age. He was sent by his mother to a religious school. Soon not being able to pay for it, young Huseyn had to drop out. However with the help of Habib bey Mahmudbeyov, a local teacher who made it possible for children from poor families to attend school, Arablinski was admitted to the 3rd Russian-Muslim School. Mahmudbeyov was also the one who roused young Arablinski's interest in acting. One of the theatres agreed to have Mahmudbeyov's students act out incidental and minor characters. Despite scrupulous preparation, Arablinskis first performance was unsuccessful. In 1897–1900 he continued to act in small roles.Arablinski's real talent was revealed in 1905, when a troupe of Azeri actors, of which he was a member, was going on a tour to the city of Lankaran
Lankaran
-History:The city was built on a swamp along the northern bank of the river bearing the city's name. There are remains of human settlements in the area dating back to the Neolithic period as well as ruins of fortified villages from the Bronze and Iron Ages. Lankaran's history is rather recent,...
to perform the play Musibat-i Fakhraddin ("Fakhraddin's Tragedy") by Najaf bey Vazirov. It was soon reported that the actor for the main role had fallen ill and could not attend the rehearsals. The role was given to the 24-year old Arablinski, who made an outstanding performance, and in the following years was often chosen for that role. His other stage roles Shah (Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar by A.Hagverdiyev
Abdurrahim bey Hagverdiyev
Abdurrahim bey Asad bey oglu Hagverdiyev was an Azerbaijani playwright, stage director, politician and public figure.-Early life:...
), Khlestakov (The Government Inspector by N.Gogol
Nikolai Gogol
Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol was a Ukrainian-born Russian dramatist and novelist.Considered by his contemporaries one of the preeminent figures of the natural school of Russian literary realism, later critics have found in Gogol's work a fundamentally romantic sensibility, with strains of Surrealism...
), Heydar bey (Haji Gara by M.F.Akhundov
Mirza Fatali Akhundov
Mirza Fatali Akhundov , former – Akhundzade , was a celebrated Azerbaijani author, playwright, philosopher, and founder of modern literary criticism, "who acquired fame primarily as the writer of European-inspired plays in the Azeri language"...
), Othello (Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
by W.Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
), etc. The stage name Arablinski was in fact the surname of one of the young females in the audience. The actor fell in love with her during the troupe's tour to Derbent
Derbent
Derbent |Lak]]: Чурул, Churul; Persian: دربند; Judæo-Tat: דארבּאנד/Дэрбэнд/Dərbənd) is a city in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, close to the Azerbaijani border. It is the southernmost city in Russia, and it is the second most important city of Dagestan...
in 1906, when she met him shortly after the play to express her admiration of his talent.
Beginning in 1907, Huseyn Arablinski worked as a stage director. In 1916 he starred in the silent movie V tsarstve nefti i millionov ("In the Realm of Oil and Millions", dir. Boris Svetlov) as Lutfali bey.
Death
In the Soviet publications Arablinski's murder was usually blamed on the government of the short-lived Azerbaijan Democratic RepublicAzerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world . The ADR was founded on May 28, 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 by Azerbaijani National Council in...
. However in reality, the actor was killed by his cousin motivated by personal issues. Arablinski's deeply religious family was never in favour of his career choice. Their relationship became even more strained when Huseyn shaved his moustache to facilitate his stage performance as female characters.