The directory «Plots»

Vezirov (Vəzirov) Najaf Bey
(1854—1926)

Najaf bey Vezirov - prominent playwright, has played an outstanding role in establishment and improvement of the Azeri dramatic art. He is the founder of the realistic tragedy genre, and also is the first Azeri actor, and the first feuilletonist.

Second half of 19 th c. – beginning of 20 th c. was a turning point in the history of Azeri culture. This was the period of formation of a new national and europeanized intelligentsia, which determined the future development of the Azeri nation. Native of Shusha Najaf-bey Vazirov was one of the first representatives of this new intelligentsia.

In his plays, such as “The Stone Thrown From Behind Hits the Heel”, “From Rain to Downpour”, "Pehlevani-Zemane" (Hero of the time), “Late Repentance is No Use” Vezirov exposed and criticized the remnants of feudal-patriarchal system in the society.

Vezirov's best work is considered to be “Musibet-i Fahraddin” (Fahraddin's Grief). Written in 1896 this drama marked the birth of the realistic tragedy genre in the Azeri literature. In this play Vezirov portrayed a personal tragedy of a young man from a noble family. His main hero, Fahraddin is a symbol of a typical enlightened Azeri liberal of 19th c., whose righteous progressive aspirations face resistance from the old feudalistic forces. He is surrounded by people brainwashed by fanaticism, medieval traditions and superstitions. At the end, Fahraddin dies when struggling against the remnants of the feudal-patriarchal society.

Najaf-bey Vezirov was a brilliant raconteur of the way of life, for what he was called a “Muslim Ostrovsky”. His dramaturgy have significantly enriched the repertoire of the then young Azeri theatre and decisively established realistic genre as the dominant one in the Azerbaijanian drama.

USSR, 1985, Najaf Bey Vezirov