Najaf Bey Vazirov

Najaf bey Fatali oglu Vazirov () (17 February 1854 – 9 July 1926) was an Azerbaijani playwright and journalist.
Najaf bey Vazirov played an exceptional role in the development of Azerbaijani dramaturgy, enriching its ideological and aesthetic content as well as its artistic qualities, and contributing significantly to the creation and growth of national theater. Through his public activities and literary works, he actively supported the national liberation movement. Najaf bey Vazirov laid the foundation of the tragedy genre in Azerbaijani literature and was closely involved in the expansion of the enlightenment movement directed against the feudal-patriarchal system in Azerbaijan.

As a student in Moscow, he corresponded with his teacher Hasan bey Zardabi and contributed journalistic articles to the newly published Akinchi. He began his dramaturgical career with the comedies "Ev tərbiyəsinin bir şəkli" (A Form of Home Education, 1875) and "Gəmi lövbərsiz olmaz" (A ship cannot sail without an anchor, 1876). The first play addressing the Baku oil industry and the rise of the national bourgeoisie, "Pehlivanani zamane" (1898–1900), was also written by Najaf bey Vazirov.

Following the revolution in Russia in 1917 and the establishment of the Soviet regime, Najaf bey Vazirov was appointed as an inspector in the Forest Department of the Soviet People's Commissariat for Land. He held this position until the end of his life, while simultaneously engaging in theater and translation activities. In his final days, despite warnings from doctors to stop working, he traveled with his students to the village of Chukhuryurd in Shamakhi. On July 9, 1926, he died there of heart failure.

Life

There are varying accounts regarding the birthdate of Najaf Bey Fatali oglu Vazirov. Research indicates dates such as April 2, 1854, and April 11, 1854, with some sources also mentioning February 15 and February 17. Archival documents preserved at the Fuzuli Institute of Manuscripts of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences reveal further discrepancies. These archives list 1859 as his birth year in his passport and membership records, while his identity card issued by the People's Commissariat of the Azerbaijan SSR records it as 1856. During a 40th-anniversary event held in Vazirov’s honor by the “Safa” Society in 1913, the year 1854 was noted. Despite these discrepancies, Vazirov himself stated in his autobiographical work “Tərcümeyi-halım” (1913) that his birth year was 1854.

Najaf Bey was born into the family of Fatali Bey in Shusha, Azerbaijan. He lived in Shusha until the age of 14, where his love for nature took root. His grandfather Najafgulu Bey and his father Fatali Bey were landowners from the village of Zumurkhach in Karabakh. Though initially affluent, the Vazirov family faced increasing financial difficulties, particularly during Fatali Bey's time. He named his firstborn Najaf to honor his father.

Due to his illness, Fatali Bey became incapacitated, and the family's financial burden fell on Najaf Bey's mother, Mina Khanum. She was the daughter of Hasan Bey Mehmandarov, a member of the prominent Mehmandarov family. Despite having wealthy relatives, the Vazirovs received no support from them. In “Tərcümeyi-halım”, Vazirov described these hardships

Najaf Bey began school in 1866 in Shusha. Reflecting on this period in “Tərcümeyi-halım”.Najaf Bey’s late start to schooling was due to his family’s financial struggles. Despite an initially successful year in school, he left the Shusha Municipal School due to the harsh treatment from his teacher. A maternal relative later provided him with basic education, hoping he could support his family in the future by learning Russian. Dissatisfied with this, Vazirov decided in 1868 to leave his mother and move to Baku for better educational opportunities

During Vazirov's arrival in Baku, the city was experiencing rapid industrial and commercial growth due to its burgeoning oil industry. He decided to enroll in the “Realniy Gimnaziya” (Technical Gymnasium). Although he failed to answer history and geography questions during the admission interview, his wit and intelligence earned him a place in the second grade. The curriculum included natural sciences, Russian language and literature, history, geography, mathematics, German, French, and natural philosophy. The school had a profound impact on Vazirov’s intellectual development, providing him access to works by Russian classical authors in their original language. Despite initial struggles in the demanding academic environment, Vazirov managed to pass his classes and excel in later years. In his final year, he achieved outstanding results and graduated with honors in 1874. His education at the Russian school in Baku significantly influenced his future literary endeavors.

Baku's transformation into an industrial city also significantly enriched its cultural life. Russian theaters with rich repertoires operating in the city provided young people with the opportunity to freely express their thoughts, strengthening the desire of educated Muslim youth to create a national theater and write and stage works in their own language. In 1873, while in the sixth grade, Najaf bey became acquainted with the theater and noted in his memoirs that this event had a profound impact on him. The next day, he met with his natural sciences teacher, Hasan bey Melikov (Zardabi), and inquired about the state of theater among Muslims. Inspired by the answers he received, he immediately took action. On March 10, 1873, Vazirov staged Mirza Fatali Akhundov