Today is the birthday of Jalil Mammadguluzadeh

Today marks the birthday of a prominent figure of Azerbaijani literature, playwright, publicist, and public figure Jalil Mammadguluzadeh.

BAKU.WS reminds that he was born on February 22, 1869, in Nakhchivan.

He received his primary education at a madrasah, and then at a three-year city school.

A significant event in Jalil Mammadguluzadeh's life was his enrollment in 1882 at the Gori Teachers' Seminary. The seminary and its so-called "Tatar" department, which was led for many years by the enlightened pedagogue and outstanding public figure, author of several textbooks, Alexei Osipovich Chernyaevsky, raised dozens of progressive figures of Azerbaijani culture.

Jalil Mammadguluzadeh graduated from the seminary in 1887 and received his diploma.

The years of study at the Transcaucasian Teachers' Seminary, where he studied for five years, became an important milestone in the formation of the writer's worldview, artistic taste, and creative habits. Here Jalil became acquainted not only with Azerbaijani and Eastern literature, but also with European and Russian science, culture and democratic thought, and progressive pedagogical training.

After graduating from the seminary, Jalil Mammadguluzadeh began his pedagogical career. Here he paid special attention to improving the level of educational work, attracted eight Azerbaijani girls to the school, organized a special class, and taught it himself.

The public figure was known not only as an outstanding journalist and publicist, but also as a playwright and prose writer.

The first period of Jalil Mammadguluzadeh's creative work continued until the revolution of 1905. During this time, he wrote the allegorical comedy play in verse "Tea Party," the cycle of stories "Events in the Village of Danabash," and the stories "School of the Village of Danabash," "The Raisin Story," and "The Mailbox." These first works reflect various aspects of life and everyday existence of Azerbaijani peasantry in the pre-revolutionary period.

"Events in the Village of Danabash" (1894) is the author's first known prose work.

The comedy "The Dead," which represents a new stage in the development of Azerbaijani dramaturgy of the 20th century, was written in 1909. The work reflects the struggle against religion, prejudices, and the feudal way of life.

Mammadguluzadeh is considered a public figure who laid the foundations of the ideology of equality between women and men in Azerbaijan and the East.

By starting the publication of the magazine "Molla Nasreddin," the first issue of which was published on April 7, 1906, he was the first in Azerbaijan and in the Muslim world to lay the foundations of satirical journalism. Since then, Mirza Jalil became known by the name Molla Nasreddin.

The playwright's works have been translated into several languages.

The name of J. Mammadguluzadeh has been given to a number of streets and cultural and educational institutions in Azerbaijan, including the Nakhchivan State Musical Drama Theater and the Literary Museum of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

In 1967, the former Astrakhan district and city was named Jalilabad in his honor, and the village where he taught was named Jalilkend. Monuments to the writer have been erected in Nakhchivan and Jalilabad. House-museums have been opened in Baku and Nakhchivan, and memorial museums in the villages of Nehram and Jalilkend.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed an order on January 17, 2019, on the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the writer.

By the decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan dated May 7, 2019, Jalil Mammadguluzadeh was included in the list of authors whose works are declared national property of the republic.

The great writer passed away on January 4, 1932, in Baku. He is buried at the Alley of Honor.