Prague: A staged reading of the play 'Knight's Move' by Azerbaijani poet and playwright Leyla Begim was held in the historic center of Prague, in the hall of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute. The author of the work told AZERTAC about the event.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the talented direction and expressive acting deeply moved the Czech audience, which included diplomats, writers, and representatives of the creative intelligentsia. The venue added special symbolism to the event, being a space for cultural dialogue and a reflection of humanistic traditions since its founding in 1928 by the country's first president, Tom¡‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡ Masaryk.
At the beginning of the staged reading, Leyla Begim expressed her gratitude to the chairwoman of the institute, Hana Hlav¡ckov¡, for her appreciation of the production and for initiating and organizing the event. This was the second premiere organized for members and guests of the Czechoslovak Foreign Institute, following the first in November at the Azerbaijan Cultural House in Prague, supported by the State Committee on Work with Diaspora.
The play 'Knight's Move' is structured as a tragedy-metaphor of a chess game, beginning with the news of the killing of journalists in the Central African Republic, including Orkhan Dzhemal. This tragedy mirrors the 19th-century fate of the Azerbaijani poetess Khurshidbanu Natavan, a paternal descendant of Dzhemal. The narrative takes the audience through Tbilisi, Baku, and Shusha, centering on Prince Khasay Khan Utsmiyev, Natavan's first husband, who makes an unexpected 'knight's move' after receiving an order from the tsar to relocate his people, effectively exiling them.
The staged reading was directed by Krystof Noh½nek, featuring Czech actors Gabriela Py‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡n¡, Richard Fiala, Vtek Ma‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡talr, and Krystof Noh½nek, with artistic design by Heyran Mustafazade. The Czech translation of the play was completed by the poet-translator Milan Dvor¡k.