One of the founders of the Azerbaijan National Theatre, resident of Shusha: Najaf bey Vazirov

Qarabag.com has prepared material about Najaf bey Vazirov, the founder of the tragedy genre in Azerbaijani dramaturgy, one of the followers of Mirza Fatali Akhundov’s school of drama.

Playwright, publicist, theatre worker Najaf bey Fatali bey oglu Vazirov was born on February 5 (17) or March (April) 1854 in Shusha city in a noble family. He wrote his works under the pseudonym “Darvish” (“ascetic”, “monk” in translation from the Azerbaijani language).
[Theatre encyclopedia. Volume 1. 1961, p. 884]
[Streets of Baku are named after them. 1962, p. 78]
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 166;198]
[F. Kasumzade. N. B. Vezirov. 1958, p. 5]

After studying in Muslim ecclesiastical school for one year, Najaf bey transferred to Shusha Сity school in 1866 (1867). However, he could not bear to be beaten by the school teacher and soon left the school.
[Streets of Baku are named after them. 1962, p. 78]
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 5]

 In 1868, at the age of 14, he came to Baku leaving his family behind, and entered the second grade of the gymnasium. Later, the writer wrote in his memoir:
“My father was a sick and incompetent person. Our mother supported and took care of us by herself. My relatives were indifferent to us and did not help us at all.
…In 1868, despite my mother’s tears, I came to Baku to study. My mother was crying because possibly I could have been a village writer and I would have supported our family members who have suffered a lot”.
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 5-6; 175; 198]
[Streets of Baku are named after them. 1962, p. 78]
[F. Kasumzade. N. B. Vezirov. 1958, p.5]

Najaf bey Vazirov is one of the founders of the Azerbaijan National Theater. In 1873, Vazirov, together with his teacher, Azerbaijani educationalist Hasan bey Malikov (Zardabi), staged the comedies “Haji Qara” (“The Adventures of the Miser”) and “Adventures of the Lankaran Khanate Vizier” by playwright Mirza Fatali Akhundov for the first time in Azerbaijani language. After successful staging process of the play(“Haji Qara”), Mirza Fatali Akhundov, the founder of Azerbaijani drama, sent them a congratulatory telegram: “Today, you extended the length of my life by ten years by putting “Haji Qara” on a play”.
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 7; 198; 201]
[Selected works. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 6]
[Encyclopedia of Uzeyir Hajibeyov. 2003, p. 61]
[Theatre encyclopedia. Volume 1. 1961, p. 884; 1072]

Azerbaijani dramatist Abdurrahim bey Hagverdiyev called Najaf bey Vazirov the first organizer of the Muslim stage and the first actor of Azerbaijan.
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 169]

After graduating from the gymnasium with a silver medal, in August 1874, Najaf bey Vazirov went to Petersburg and entered the university there. Soon he fell seriously ill with fever and on September 27, 1874, he was forced to go to Moscow.
[G. Guliyev. Azerbaijani literature. 2010, p. 134]
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 9-10]

In 1874-1878, Najaf bey Vazirov studied at the Faculty of Forestry of Petrovsky-Razumovsky Agricultural Academy in Moscow (now Russian State Agrarian University – Academy under the Ministry of Agriculture after K.A.Timiryazev. During these years, he befriended the Russian academician K. A. Timiryazev (after whom the university itself would be named in the future) and the Russian writer V. G. Korolenko. While studying at university, Najaf bey Vazirov founded the “Imdadia” society in 1878.
[M. Meylman. Azerbaijani literature. 1958, p. 32]
[Streets of Baku are named after them. 1962, p. 78]
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 11; 25-26]

In 1875-1877, Najaf bey Vazirov wrote journalistic articles and essays for the first Azerbaijani newspaper “Akinchi” (“Ploughman”), whose founder and editor was Hasan bey Zardabi. In the 1971 book “History of Azerbaijani Literature (Short Essay), it is mentioned that Najaf bey Vazirov is one of the inspirers of this newspaper. Azerbaijani philologist and literary critic Firudin bey Kocharli mentions Vazirov as one of his main collaborators.
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 199]
[G. Guliyev. Azerbaijani literature. 2010, p. 135]
[Selected works. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 9]
[F. bey Kocharli. Literature of Azerbaijani Tatars. 1903, p. 36]
[Streets of Baku are named after them. 1962, p. 79]
[M. Arif. History of Azerbaijani literature. (Short essay). 1971, p. 112]

After graduating from the university, Najaf bey Vazirov worked as a forester from 1878 to 1890, first in Tartar area (1878-1880), and then in Dilijan (now Armenia), Elizavetpol governorate. In 1880-1890, Najaf bey Vazirov wrote his first scientific work on the forests of Azerbaijan in Azerbaijani language.
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 28-29; 199]
[M.N. Meylman. Azerbaijani literature. 1958, p. 32]

Due to the rise of the revolutionary movement in Russia in the 1890s, graduates of the Petrovsky-Razumovsky Academy were persecuted, arrested and fired. As a result of these events, Najaf bey Vazirov was released from the position of forester.
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 28-29]

When Najaf bey Vazirov came to Baku in 1895, he started working as a lawyer for a while.
[M. N. Meylman. Azerbaijani literature. 1958, p. 32]
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 200]
[Streets of Baku are named after them. 1962, p. 78]

In 1896, Najaf bey Vazirov wrote the first tragedy in Azerbaijani literature – “Fakhraddin’s Grief”.
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 57]
[Essay on the history of Azerbaijani Soviet literature. 1963, p. 22]

In 1903, Najaf bey Vazirov was appointed the secretary of the Baku City Duma, and then the deputy head of its Vocational School Department.
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 200]

In 1907, Najaf bey Vazirov translated the tragedy “The Death of Ivan the Terrible” by the Russian dramatist Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy into Azerbaijani.
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 200]

Najaf bey Vazirov is the author of the following works: “The Tragedy of the Unfortunate” (1874) and “Meat for you and bones for me” (1873), “Scene of Home Education” (1875), “A stone thrown behind, will hit in the heel” (1890), “Late contrition doesn’t yield fruits” (1890), “The name exists, but the self doesnt” (1891), “From the rain and under the downpour” (1895), “Heroes of Our Time” (1900) comedies.
[Streets of Baku are named after them. 1962, p. 79]
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 199; 200]
[Selected works. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 9]

Firudin bey Kocharli evaluated the creativity of Najaf bey Vazirov as follows: “Najaf bey Vazirov is considered the most productive drama writer, he wrote 7 comedies and several vaudevilles. J. N. Vazirov shows great talent in his comedies: he ingeniously describes various events from the patriarchal life of the householder class. He has “There is only a Name” and “A slow learner” (presumably under the last one “A stone thrown behind, will hit in the heel” or “Late contrition doesn’t yield fruits”) comedies can be considered the most successful works in this regard. Comedies of both N.Vazirov and Hagverdiyev (Abdurrahim bey Hagverdiyev) are written in a colorful language, but Vazirov used the language little elaborated and unnecessarily adapted to the dialect of Baku Tatars”.
[F. bey Kocharli. Literature of Azerbaijani Tatars. 1903, p. 50-51]
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 46]

Najaf bey Vazirov was called “Muslim Ostrovsky” in honor of the Russian playwright Alexander Ostrovsky, who greatly influenced his work.
[M.N. Meylman. Azerbaijani literature. 1958, p. 33]
[Selected works. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 7-8]
[Great Soviet encyclopedia. Volume 1. 1926, p. 666]
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 174]

Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov called Najaf bey Vazirov his spiritual mentor. In 1913, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Vazirov’s creativity, Hajibeyov wrote him a letter:
 “Mr. Najaf bey Vazirov. You are always in our ranks. The seeds sown by you will spread throughout the Muslim world and together they will give the sprouts of thousands of Najafbeys. Your name will be written in the annals of history”.
[Encyclopedia of Uzeyir Hajibeyov. 2003, p. 61]

After the sovietization of Azerbaijan (1920), Najaf bey Vazirov was appointed chief inspector of the Forest Department of the People’s Commissariat for Agriculture. In 1921-1926, Vazirov taught forestry class at the Agamalioglu Agricultural and Reclamation College in Baku.
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 173; 201]

In 1926, despite the objections of the doctors who recommended him to rest, Najaf bey Vazirov went to practical training in Chukhuryurd village of Shamakhi region together with his students. On July 9, 1926, Najaf bey Vazirov suddenly died of a heart attack while performing his official duties. He was buried in Baku.
[К. Mammadov. Najaf bey Vazirov. 1995, p. 173; 201]
[Streets of Baku are named after them. 1962, p. 79]