Azerbaijani poet: Talented authors get paid overseas, in here its the opposite

Azerbaijan has always been famous for its poets and poetesses. In your opinion, why young people of post-Soviet period have lost interest in poetry? Has the advent of stringent conditions of market economy swept away romantics?

In general, the tone of society has changed due transition to capitalism, which at times had a wild expressions. Under socialism we had a belief, albeit in the illusory notion, like collectivism. But now we live in an era of cynical pragmatism, individualism, where everyone only concerned with what is advantageous and in what ways it can pay off. I cannot answer on behalf of millions of citizens, but the time of romantics really fades away under the pressure of aggressive rationalism.

In fact, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, poets, writers, translators - a wide stratum of the cultural intelligentsia found themselves in a difficult situation. In the Soviet era, they lived on public contracts and were on demand. But in a period of market economy, each was forced to survive as best as they could. Imagine yourself as a translator into Russian in today's society. How would you survive?

Intellectuals faced really tough situation after the collapse of the Union. Everything had collapsed. In our case, it was also followed by the Nagorno-Karabakh war. But there was such a figure as Heydar Aliyev, I am not exaggerating things, he really knew who are real intellectuals, artists and knew many of them personally and cared for the creators of spiritual values. Aliyev ordered to write off debts of literary bodies. He showed a constant concern for the creative unions and ordered to institute a presidential scholarship. This tradition is being continued today by Ilham Aliyev. I am grateful to our Head of State as a presidential scholar. But at the same time, I want to see the salaries of school teachers and university teachers raised, because they educate our future generation.

Today there are few Azerbaijani writers who earn incomes through the publication of their books. Can you say what writers need to do earn income from publication of books?

The Soviet system had the advantage that the writers were given royalties for books. But negative feature was that authors could simply be "shelved". But today we have freedom and write what we want. But self-financing has become common now. In foreign countries, publishing house undertakes costs for publishing young author’s books and gives an author an advance payment. We lack such a mechanism. In our case, author pays publishers to publish his works.

Who would you note among young poets, writers and translators?

I can name Asad Jahangir, a talented literary critic, I like his works. I can also note writers who started in 1960 and who have already got old. They are Anar, Fikret Goca, Elchin Efandiyev, Vagif Samadoglu, Musa Yagub, Ramiz Rovshan and Chingiz Alioglu. Among translators I can note Abbas Abdulla, Eyvaz Borchali and Hamlet Goca. I am very pleased with publication of "Mutarcim” magazine which opens new names of translators. In this context we should mention the obvious merit of editor Telman Valikhanli.

In your opinion, what steps should be taken to inculcate love of reading in younger generation? Unfortunately, our TV, basically, show programs do not promote spiritual values and fail to shape good taste of the younger generation.

I agree, the overall picture is really sad. Many stories are based on primitive scenarios. They are mostly monotonous. It is difficult to instill something in young generation while they watch soap operas and oppressive serials on TV and Internet..

What advice would you give to young poets and writers who want to succeed?

First, there should be willingness. You must love to work with words and, of course, to be gifted by God. Talent is this is not only God's gift, but also an ability to be unique and different. You need to know what has happened before you started. Actually, I sometimes think that the great classics of the XIX century had told everything possible. I believe that every person is  talented. Simply this gift should be revealed and developed from childhood.


/Aze.Az/