The well-known Polish newspaper “Tribune” has published an interview with president of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva, dedicated to the 880th anniversary of the great Azerbaijani poet and thinker Nizami Ganjavi.

Answering questions about the role of Nizami Ganjavi’s literary heritage in Azerbaijani and world literature, Gunay Afandiyeva stressed the importance of popularizing the poet’s creativity in the world.

Describing Nizami Ganjavi as one of the peaks of Azerbaijani, Turkic and world literature in general, president of the Foundation emphasized that despite the past centuries, the poet’s creativity continues to remain relevant. Gunay Afandiyeva noted that Nizami Ganjavi, who lived and worked in one of the ancient cultural centers of Azerbaijan – Ganja, is the author of world-class works. Stressing that the creativity of the great master of the entire Turkic world, as well as the creativity of Homer, Ferdowsi, Dante, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Goethe, Tolstoy is not limited to national borders, president of the Foundation noted that Nizami’s poetry is rich in multicultural human ideas. President of the Foundation brought to attention that the poet, creating images of representatives of various people in his works, forms a set of values that echo our time. Gunay Afandiyeva stressed that the announcement by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev of 2021 as the “Year of Nizami” is a high assessment given to the literature and culture of the entire Turkic world.

Gunay Afandiyeva noted that a number of events were held by the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation within the framework of the “Year of Nizami”: books of the poet also adapted for children in various languages were published; literary and artistic evenings were organized in Azerbaijan and Turkey, where musical works written on poems of the poet were performed by the “Dada Gorgud” Chamber Orchestra created under the auspices of the Foundation, as well as a book prepared in Polish consisting of samples of Nizami’s poetry was published in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Poland and the (ceremonial) anniversary of the great thinker was held.

Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency