Suleyman Sani Akhundov
Encyclopedia
Suleyman Sani Akhundov (3 October 1875, Shusha
– 29 March 1939, Baku
) was an Azerbaijan
i playwright
, journalist, children's author, and teacher. He chose the name Sani (Arabic
for "the second") to avoid confusion with his namesake, Mirza Fatali Akhundov
.
family in Shusha (then part of the Russian Empire
, now a city in Azerbaijan
) and graduated from the Transcaucasian Teachers Seminary
(in present-day Gori, Georgia
) in 1894. He was involved in teaching and journalism for the rest of his life. He was the co-author of the Azeri language
textbook Ikinji il(The second year) published in 1906. After Sovietization
he served as Minister of Education of Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
for a short period of time. In 1922, Suleyman Sani Akhundov was chosen the first chairman of the Union of Writers and Poets of Azerbaijan. In 1932, he was awarded a honorary title of the Hero of Labour for his merits in literary and pedagogical activity. Between 1920-1930, he was chosen the member of Baku Soviet, probationary member of the Executive Commitee of Baku, member of the Central Executive Commitee of the Azerbaijan SSR.
entitled Gorkhulu naghillar ("Scary Stories"), which dealt with the theme of poverty
and social inequality
and therefore became one of the most popular children books later in the Soviet
epoch. Works written by the writer after Russian Revolution in 1905, concerned with social-political problems, highlighting them from the democratic position. In his works written after 1920 he continues with the criticism of patriarchal norms, social backwardness, and despotism of the ruling class, and describes the expectations of people from the newly-established political system. Such works as "Fortune's wheel" (1921), "Falcon's nest" (1921), "Love and revenge" (1922) drama were written by the writer.
Shusha
Shusha , also known as Shushi is a town in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus. It has been under the control of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since its capture in 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War...
– 29 March 1939, 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 playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, journalist, children's author, and teacher. He chose the name Sani (Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
for "the second") to avoid confusion with his namesake, Mirza Fatali 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"...
.
Life and contributions
Akhundov was born to a beyBey
Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
family in Shusha (then part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, now a city in 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...
) and graduated from the Transcaucasian Teachers Seminary
Transcaucasian Teachers Seminary
The Transcaucasian Teachers Seminary in Gori was a 4-year specialized secondary school in the Russian Empire in 1876–1917 aimed at professional training of primary school teachers.-History:...
(in present-day Gori, Georgia
Gori, Georgia
Gori is a city in eastern Georgia, which serves as the regional capital of Shida Kartli and the centre of the homonymous administrative district. The name is from Georgian gora , that is, "heap", or "hill"...
) in 1894. He was involved in teaching and journalism for the rest of his life. He was the co-author of the Azeri language
Azerbaijani language
Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...
textbook Ikinji il(The second year) published in 1906. After Sovietization
Sovietization
Sovietization is term that may be used with two distinct meanings:*the adoption of a political system based on the model of soviets .*the adoption of a way of life and mentality modelled after the Soviet Union....
he served as Minister of Education of Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast was an autonomous oblast within the borders of the Azerbaijan SSR, mostly inhabited by ethnic Armenians and created on July 7, 1923. According to Karl R. DeRouen it was created as an enclave so that a narrow strip of land would separate it from Armenia proper....
for a short period of time. In 1922, Suleyman Sani Akhundov was chosen the first chairman of the Union of Writers and Poets of Azerbaijan. In 1932, he was awarded a honorary title of the Hero of Labour for his merits in literary and pedagogical activity. Between 1920-1930, he was chosen the member of Baku Soviet, probationary member of the Executive Commitee of Baku, member of the Central Executive Commitee of the Azerbaijan SSR.
Creativity
His first fictional piece called Tamahkar ("The Greedy One") was written in 1899. Between 1912 and 1913 he wrote a pentalogyPentalogy
A pentalogy is a compound literary or narrative work that is made up of five distinct works, just as a trilogy is made up of three works, and a tetralogy of four...
entitled Gorkhulu naghillar ("Scary Stories"), which dealt with the theme of poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
and social inequality
Social inequality
Social inequality refers to a situation in which individual groups in a society do not have equal social status. Areas of potential social inequality include voting rights, freedom of speech and assembly, the extent of property rights and access to education, health care, quality housing and other...
and therefore became one of the most popular children books later in the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
epoch. Works written by the writer after Russian Revolution in 1905, concerned with social-political problems, highlighting them from the democratic position. In his works written after 1920 he continues with the criticism of patriarchal norms, social backwardness, and despotism of the ruling class, and describes the expectations of people from the newly-established political system. Such works as "Fortune's wheel" (1921), "Falcon's nest" (1921), "Love and revenge" (1922) drama were written by the writer.