Azerbaijani literature is currently developing in various genres and directions. If there is development, it means literature is alive

Renowned Azerbaijani poet and writer Prof. Təranə Turan Rəhimli speaks on literature and poetry

Jakhongir NOMOZOV

Our conversation partner is the renowned Azerbaijani poet and writer Prof. Təranə Turan Rəhimli. Our conversation revolved around literature and poetry, the current literary processes, the art of translation, Azerbaijani literature, library culture, personal views, and the role of poets and writers in society.

Introduction

Associate Prof. Dr. Tarana Turan Rahimli, born in Baku, Azerbaijan, is an Azerbaijani poet, writer, journalist, translator, literary critic, and an active member of the International Literary Agency in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Philippine, Kazakistan, Italy, Oman, Belgium, and USA. She is a doctor of philological sciences, author of 9 books and more than 500 articles. Her poems and prose works have been translated into 35 languages. The work has been published in more than 45 Western and Eastern countries. Her articles have also been published in many international sites around the world, on periodicals and in anthologies. She has been awarded with more than 50 international awards and 300 honorary degrees and diplomas.

— What does being a poet mean to you?

— Being a poet is not an art form that one can choose, not something that can be entered by reading and increasing one’s intellect, expanding one’s worldview, or by one’s own will or passion.

Poetry is a gift from God, a special authority given by the Creator to express one’s emotions, observations, foresight, things that are felt differently from everyone else, everything lived, and even those things that have not been lived, with a way of thinking that stands above time, directing the time and era itself.

To begin writing without thinking about writing, to write without solving the secret of the force that compels you to write, to suddenly find yourself in a magic whose source you do not understand, to experience the invasion of verses into your mind even when you don’t want to write, forcing yourself to WRITE… Isn’t all this strange? The essence of this strangeness is not being able to solve it — this is what poetry is.

— What themes inspire you the most as a poet?

— I do not recognize the limitation of themes. I believe that for a poet, all objects and events of life can be themes. In general, the very idea of thinking about which theme is more inspiring seems absurd to me.

Life goes on with its flow, we encounter unexpected events, situations, and circumstances.

Sometimes the joy that cannot fit within us becomes a poem, like the victory of the 44-day Homeland War, and sometimes the deep sadness and shock of the earthquake in Turkey, which remains a tragedy of the century, pours into verses.

Or the heroic actions of the pilot and stewardess who perished in a plane crash become poetry.

At that time, are we writing only because of the inspiration given by sorrow, pain, and suffering? No! The matter is that in the birth of poetry from the deepest emotions and feelings of the poet, the perspective from which they observe and the depth of their influence is also of great importance.

Even inspiration itself has classifications. Sezai Karakoç even defined the colors of inspiration: white, black inspiration, and clarified the moment: sublime, celestial, and divine inspiration…

Plato stated that the poet, through inspiration, reaches a knowledge that surpasses reason.

In general, the contribution of inspiration in the process of creation in the poet’s work is undeniable.

The theme, however, is conditional, variable, so I can never differentiate which theme is more inspiring.

— How do you express yourself as a poet or writer?

— The esteemed reader knows that best.

The balance scale of the reader measures the level of expression of the poet or writer more accurately. Also, literary criticism…

Proper criticism is the beacon of a work and a writer.

However, sometimes criticism is seriously influenced by the reader’s evaluation and even becomes dependent on it.

If you are asking whether I am satisfied with my own mode of expression or my writings, I have one answer to this question: I never bring out a work to the public that I am not fully satisfied with. But this does not mean that all my writings perfectly express my poetic soul or my artistic way of thinking. I always have, and will have, criticisms of myself.

—What is the most important factor for you when creating a work?

— To approach words with responsibility, not to cloud the waters of the literary ocean! Poetry is clarity, purity, where there is no place for anything false or artificial. When writing poetry, a person ascends to the most innocent, most pure elevation of their spirituality. If even the smallest bit of “dirty” air mixes into that high atmosphere, the poet themselves will be the first to suffocate. I am always a staunch defender of preserving that purity in book publishing; I am against deceiving the reader with scribbles that will only burden their mind.

Once, I read a statement by our esteemed poet Salam Sarvan in his book. They asked him why the volume of his book was so small. He replied, “Because I do not water down the milk.” Every time I prepare my books for publication, I remember that thought and think that “watering down the milk” means presenting mediocre, unsatisfactory scribbles alongside good poetry, which brings disrespect to the poet.

—What do you think about the current state of Azerbaijani literature? What should be the role of writers and poets in society?

— Azerbaijani literature is currently developing in various genres and directions. If there is development, it means literature is alive. Does this development lead to satisfaction? What are the shortcomings? Or can we call all the writings published and presented to readers in the name of literature “works”? All of these are topics that require extensive discussion.

To stick to the point, I can say that today, powerful works are being written that will represent Azerbaijani literature with dignity around the world. Whether in poetry, prose, or drama, there are magnificent artistic examples of contemporary Azerbaijani literature.

I look to the future of our literature with great hope because its glorious past and bright present provide a stimulus for this.

As for the role of writers and poets in society, I would like to note that people trust them, they believe in them. In order not to lose this trust and not to undermine this belief, the artist must foresee how each of their words will resonate.

Of course, there are those who, for the sake of cheap sensationalism or staying in the spotlight, tarnish their art. A writer, poet, or word person is a respected and influential individual, whose words are as valuable as gold. That’s why everyone wants to see this person as a paragon of their work in their personal life too. Only then can that poet or writer have an impact on their contemporaries and society as a whole.

Consider this: a poet who celebrates the homeland in all their poems goes into hiding during wartime, or a writer who always promotes national moral values in their novels becomes notorious for immorality. Who would trust such a word person—one whose real-life identity contradicts the “I” in their works?

Wouldn’t their lack of respect in society affect their role in society?

Let me add a side note.

When I first started working at the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University, I kept hearing one sentence from everyone: “It’s a pity you didn’t see it when Ismail Shikhli worked here.”

Of course, everyone knows how great a writer Ismail Shikhli was. What surprised me was that when talking about his clear personal qualities, everyone used the expression “There has never been a person as ethical as Ismail teacher.” He had become not just a writer, but also a symbol of a very ethical, honorable Azerbaijani man in the memories of people.

Working in a university where this great writer and renowned scholar left deep marks in the memories was a huge lesson in terms of clarifying my personal criteria.

Therefore, when I speak about the role of a writer or poet in society, I link it to the totality of their personality.

And thank God, today we still have such individuals—writers and poets—whose influence on Azerbaijani society is primarily through preserving and promoting our national and moral values.

—Do your works always carry a specific idea or concept, or do you prefer complete freedom in your creativity?

— Naturally, there is an idea.

Even in the most freely written works that break and destroy accepted artistic norms, there is undoubtedly an idea or concept.

I love the traditions of our national literature deeply and write while remaining faithful to those traditions. Not only national thinking, but also the unique intellectual and moral values of centuries—these are significant matters I give great importance to. Even the poetic form, the structure in which I convey artistic thought and idea, reflects this devotion.

The idea is the essence of the work, the purpose that drives the author to write.

Without artistic thought and idea, no work can be born. Lack of an idea means lack of principle, foundation, and purpose. However, even a work with a strong idea cannot cover up its other flaws. The work also gains timelessness through its universal artistic-philosophical problems.

In the history of world literature, works written centuries ago, which still remain relevant today, owe their longevity not only to their ideas but also to their universal artistic-philosophical issues.

For example, Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables,” “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame,” Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” “Anna Karenina”…

Today, a young person in Tokyo’s metro, unable to take their eyes off Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment,” and a shepherd in a remote Norwegian mountain village, finding peace in Theodore Dreiser’s “Jennie Gerhardt,” both love these works because of their universal problems.

—How do events in your personal life or conversations with others reflect in your creativity?

— Every poet writes themselves. It could be an event they personally experienced, the impact of a conversation with someone, or a situation they observed from afar with sensitivity.

It’s the same in my creativity; there are autobiographical moments, the influence of conversations, and things I’ve observed from a distance. What matters is how much all of these shake the writer, how they pass through their inner world, internalize them, and then spill out into words, finding light.

A poet, a writer is a child of their time, environment, nation, the place they live, and, more broadly, the world. Whatever they write, they will undoubtedly be influenced by the current state of the world, their surroundings, and their time. Today, I live in my homeland, Azerbaijan, but in every one of my poems (and indeed in the work of all of us) there is the cry of children killed in Gaza, the pain of lives destroyed by bombs in Syria, the sorrowful faces of families displaced from Ukraine, the mournful images of ruined homes, the lives and losses devastated by the earthquake in Turkey… losses… the wound they leave behind. And, as time passes, while the objects and subjects of these influences may change, the sensitivity they create, the flood of emotions they evoke, will remain unchanged.

—What is the current interest in literature? As a writer, how do you accept the new forms and platforms of literature related to the development of science and technology?

— Literature has always been the leader of culture, the field that directs and leads development. The development of music works, stage works, television, radio… and many other fields I haven’t mentioned is directly dependent on literature. Without a libretto, there is no opera; without a screenplay, there is no cinema; without a dramatic work, there is no theater; without poetry, there is no song. Therefore, when discussing interest in literature, it is wrong to only refer to reading works from books. The television shows, series, documentaries, and films we watch every evening should also be considered as indicators of interest in literature. Taking all of this into account, I can say that today, the interest in literature is at an enviable level. The readership of electronic journals and websites has expanded to an unimaginable extent, which clearly shows the huge interest in literary works published in periodicals.

I’m not even talking about the demand for the works of world masterpieces in international book sales centers. Like many of my contemporaries, I do not share the belief that interest in literature is decreasing. On the contrary, I believe today’s readers are more discerning, thinking carefully about what they read. And they cannot be deceived.

As for the second part of your question, I would like to note that literature is constantly changing and becoming richer with new forms. The development of technology has accelerated this change, and this richness manifests itself in various ways. Network literature and virtual literary examples attract as much attention as works written with a pen and published on paper. We live in an era where even postmodernism is beginning to become history, and network literature is developing by taking full advantage of the possibilities provided by technology. Of course, there are objective and subjective aspects of this development that we do not unconditionally accept. However, the development of literature in this way opens new opportunities for both the reader and the writer and has a significant impact on the development of culture, intellect, public consciousness, and society as a whole.

—What feelings arise when a poem is completed for you? As a writer, how do you manage unfinished works?

— An unfinished work, for me, is a sentence I have not yet completed. In other words, if I deem it necessary, I would finish that sentence, I wouldn’t leave it halfway. But when I don’t have the heart to finish that incomplete sentence or unfinished poem, I have thought about how I would treat them. In my first poetry book, “The Whisper of Pain,” there is a title: “Five-three lines remain in the battle of words / Saying farewell to dying poems.” Under that title, I included verses from my unfinished poems. And it was received very well.

In fact, even a single verse can create a deep impression. That’s why, sometimes, what is unfinished for the author may be a complete work for the reader.

—What role do you think translation plays in creating the universal language of literature?

— Translation is not only important in building literary bridges but also in broadening the context of the development of literature and determining its scale.

Sometimes, however, a poor translation can tarnish literature, damage the author’s reputation, and cast doubt on their talent. Creating a universal language for literature is a very broad topic for discussion. One of the major representatives of postmodernism, John Fowles, wrote in his philosophical essay collection “Aristos” that a universal language must meet four criteria. The first is that the universal language should be based on an already existing and widely spread language. Second, it should be analytical, not synthetic. Third, this language must have a phonetic system made up of a limited number of symbols to write words. Fourth, while it must be effective and simple, it should also be flexible and able to facilitate communication at more complex levels.

When we recall that artificially created languages like Esperanto and Ido have failed, we see how important the criteria John Fowles set for a universal language are. And the language fails if it does not have literature.

According to Fowles’ thinking, among all world languages, English is the least synthetic, which is why reading, learning, and understanding it is easy. He found English to be the most suitable language for the requirements of a universal language. From this, we can deduce that the universal language of literature could be English. We translate our works into English to present them to the world.

Later, we translate them into other languages…

Despite the fact that in the modern world, Chinese, Spanish, and other languages are also dominant, works in English can help authors gain sufficient recognition. Today, writers around the world read each other’s works in English. Therefore, I believe that literature already has a universal language. And translations easily find their way from this language to others.

Since your question is about translations, I would like to share one more thought. Translation is a responsible field, but recently, we’ve come across some signatures and very poor texts that show translators, for some personal interest, are translating nonsense in the name of literature. Presenting a clumsy translation to the world audience as a work of literature is a disrespect to true literature.

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Jakhongir NOMOZOV is an Uzbek journalist and writer

Read: My Heart Is Full Of Memories – Poetry from Azerbaijan