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THE GREAT LIFE: YEARS AND OEUVRE
Academician Isa Akbar oghlu Habibbeyli is one of our outstanding scholars who enjoys a
special place in the development of Azerbaijani literary studies and social view and has made
monumental contributions to our science with his original researches. The scientific surveys of the
great scholar in literary studies as well as of the well-known literary historian and theoretician
proficiently serve the further development of the science about literature in Azerbaijan and the
study and generalization of the key problems of social view.
The Full Member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Honoured scholar Isa
Habibbeyli was born to a teacher’s family in the village of Danzik (etymologically meaning “Dan
yeri”, i.e. “dawn”) of the Sharur district on 16 October 1949. His father Akbar Alibey oghlu
Habibbeyli was one of the well-known intellects who had taught for over 50 years in his native
village.
Isa Habibbeyli got his primary education in the secondary school of the Danzik village in the
district of Sharur, and finished the Oghlangala (the former Ulya Norashen) secondary village school
in 1966. Back in the years at the secondary school his first article titled “The Cotton-growing
Children” appeared in the newspaper “Azerbaijan Pioneri” [The Azerbaijanian Pioneer] (1964),
and further his articles and poems were published in the newspapers “Azerbaijan Ganjlari” [The
Azerbaijani Youth], “Sharg Gapisi” [the Door to the East], “Ishigli Yol” [The Bright Path]. He
graduated with honours from the Faculty of the Azerbaijani Language and Literature of
Nakhchivan Affiliate of Azerbaijan State Pedagogical Institute (1971). As a student he chaired the
Students’ Scientific Association, presented interesting speeches at the students’ scientific
conferences held in Baku, Nakhchivan and Tbilisi. He also contributed to the periodical press with
his articles and poems.
Industriousness, optimism, adherence to the world encouraged Isa Habibbeyli to set his sails
in a boundless ocean called “science”. Isa Habibbeyli’s closer familiarization with the prominent
representative of literary studies, noble personality with deep intellect Academician Mammad Jafar
Jafarov on “The Days of Science” held in Nakhchivan in 1970 determined his course of life once
and for all. Thus, Isa Habibbeyli, who attracted the attention with his poems and articles in the
public press, came to prefer the way to science back then when he was a student.
The deep respect to the personality of the giant in science Mammad Jafar Jafarov, who has
left deep traces in Isa Habibbeyli’s recollections and moral evolution, was vividly manifested in
the latter’s scientific works written later, especially in his articles dedicated to the great scholar.
The factor of Academician Mammad Jafar Jafarov did not only encourage Isa Habibbeyli to
scientific creativity, but also influenced his development as a personality integrating modesty and
wisdom. He accepted his Ustad
1
Mammad Jafar Jafarov as a model of great modesty. In Isa
Habibbeyli’s view, “The classical modesty peculiar to Academician Mammad Jafar Jafarov proved
what great spiritual wealth modesty is. Only the people who have realized themselves and are
perfect as a personality can be so modest”.
1
A person with extensive and deep knowledge in science or trade; ace, topnotch; fig. a teacher, a mentor
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In 1973 Isa Habibbeyli was enrolled on the post-graduation course in the section “Theory of
Literature” headed by Academician Mammad Jafar Jafarov at the Institute of Literature after
Nizami. He has attracted the attention with his interesting presentations and speeches at scientific
conferences since 1975 when he began teaching at the Department “Literature” of Nakhchivan
State Pedagogical Institute. His presentations on “Fizuli Traditions in the XX-century Azerbaijani
Romantic Lyrics”, “Gori Seminary and the Intelligentsia of Nakhchivan”, “The Artistic Features
of Mahammad Hadi’s Lyrics” at different conferences promised his scientific competence and
observations.
While attending the post-graduation course at Literature Institute after Nizami of the National
Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, his close contact with the classical literary critics working at
this temple of science Mammad Jafar Jafarov, Mirzagha Guluzadeh, Yashar Garayev, Aziz
Mirahmadov, Kamal Talibzadeh, Kamran Mammadov and others had a significant role in the
formation of the young researcher’s scientific world-outlook. The wisdom, depth and modesty
peculiar to Mammad Jafar Jafarov, Abbas Zamanov’s civic-mindedness, Aziz Mirahmadov’s
punctuality and responsibility are clearly manifested in Isa Habibbeyli’s scientific activities. Broad
scientific world-outlook, tenderness and generosity, responsibility and devotion as well as
inexhaustible activity encompass the main features of Isa Habibbeyli’s character.
In 1980 Isa Habibbeyli successfully defended the dissertation on “The Early XX-century
Azerbaijani Romantic Lyrics” to get a candidate’s degree at the Dissertation Board of the Institute
of Literature after Nizami. That research dedicated to a very rich and interesting period of
Azerbaijani literature attracted the attention of our outstanding literary critics Mammad Jafar
Jafarov, Kamal Talibzadeh, Aziz Mirahmadov, Abbas Zamanov, Yashar Garayev and Professor
Kamran Mammadov for its scientific value, theoretical originality and novelty.
Appraising the early-XX-century literary and social views with great enthusiasm and nobility,
Isa Habibbeyli studied comprehensively the creative activities of the outstanding literary figures
such as Husein Javid, Mahammad Hadi, Abbas Sahhat, Abdulla Shaig from the perspectives of the
requirements of the period and time, and succeeded to elucidate scientifically and theoretically the
literary-aesthetic essence, socio-philosophical ideal and artistic features of the romantic poem. In
his view, due to the socio-political conditions generated in the early XX century, the thematic circle
of Azerbaijani romantic lyrics expanded and new poetic principles started their formation. The
inner world of the personality, the searches for an ideal human being and supreme social
community, the appeal to the universal ideals turned into the leading themes of the romantic lyrics
in the given period. Elucidating the social importance of the romantic lyrics, the researcher wrote,
“In romantic aesthetics imagination, ideal principles were interpreted as abstract tendencies
alienating from society. Actually, in romantic lyrics the ideas of enlightenment and democracy
widely disseminated and the romantics acted as decent and creative followers of the literary
traditions existing in our literature prior to them under new conditions”.
The attractive art of polemics, high intellectual level, the strong generalization skill and high
theoretical aptitude peculiar to Isa Habibbeyli’s scientific creativity enabled him to make scientific
outcomes in his monograph titled “The Potentials of Romantic Lyrics” (1984). Isa Habibbeyli
noticed that sonnets, marches, anthems, madrigals and other poetic forms were first created in our
poetry in that period and spoke of the poeticism of those genres on high scientific level. Isa
Habibbeyli gave preference to the issue of style in romantic lyrics and initiated the scientific
classification of the individual style of different authors. He was also the first in Azerbaijani literary
studies to determine that Husein Javid wrote in romantic-philosophical, Mahammad Hadi in
romantic-publisistic, Abbas Sahhat in lyric-romantic, and Abdulla Shaig in romantic-realistic styles