National Library celebrates legacy of outstanding playwright

Azerbaijan National Library has presented a large-scale book exhibition timed to the 125th anniversary of Jabbar Jabbarli, an outstanding Azerbaijani playwright.

The exhibition features Jabbar Jabbarli's works and his translations, as well as books about the life and work of Jafar Jabbarli in Azerbaijani and foreign languages, Azernews reports.

The event is of great interest to library visitors. Here they can learn more about the life and legacy left by the founder of screenwriting in Azerbaijan.

Jabbar Jabbarli takes a prominent place in Azerbaijani culture as a playwright, poet, theatre director, translator, and screenwriter.

Jabbarli started writing at an early age. His first poem was published in 1911, in the local newspaper Hagigat-i Afkar. In the following years, he penned over 20 plays, as well as stories, poems, essays, and articles.

He also translated European classics, such as Shakespeare's Othello and Hamlet, Pierre Beaumarchais's The Marriage of Figaro, etc.

The writer's focus was on the theatre, where he achieved huge success. His plays Baku War, Devoted Sariyya, or Laughter Through Tears, Shah Nasraddin, Bride of Fire, Sevil, and Almaz gained widespread popularity.

In his plays, Jabbarli was keen on women's freedom, the elimination of gender inequality, and the solution to problems pertaining to mass ignorance among women.

Two of his plays, Sevil and Almaz, both written in 1928, focused on women's role and their struggle against patriarchy.

In 1929, the Sevil film was shot based on the play of the same name. It was the first domestic film against gender inequality.

In this play, Jabbarli describes two women, Sevil, a beautiful woman, who obeyed her husband unquestioningly, and Dilbar, Balash's mistress, and a man named Balash, who disliked his past, repudiated traditions and customs, and turned away from his own father.

Inspired by the success of the play Sevil, Jafar Jabbarli started to work on a screenplay for the Almaz film. Unfortunately, he could not finish it amid health issues. His friends and colleagues continued his cinematographic activities and completed the shooting of the film that was released after Jabbarli's death. The film tells about Almaz, who was not scared to come across a "kulak" - a wealthy peasant called Haji Ahmad. She fought against kulaks, sparked a revolution in the village, led her struggle, and won.

After so many years, Jabbarli's legacy still continues to inspire people. The museum named after him was established in 1934. Over 137,000 exhibits are stored at the Jafar Jabbarli Theatre Museum.

The Jafar Jabbarli State Theatre Museum systematically holds events dedicated to prominent theatrical figures, lectures, and exhibitions. In 2004, the Union of Theatre Workers awarded the museum the Golden Dervish Award for the acquisition and storage of materials on the history of the theater.