Ramiz Abbasli

Ramiz Mohammad oghlu Abbasli
Born	(1948-07-01) July 1, 1948 Papravend, Aghdam District, Azerbaijan SSR
Occupation(s)	Writer, translator
Years active	1990s–present
Known for	Fiction writing and translations from English, German, and Russian

Ramiz Mohammad oghlu Abbasli (; born July 1, 1948) is an Azerbaijani writer and translator specializing in fiction.

Biography

Abbasli was born as Ramiz Mohammad oghlu Barkhudarov on July 1, 1948, in Papravend, located in the Aghdam District of the Azerbaijan SSR. His father worked as a literature instructor. Throughout his early education at local schools, Abbasli cultivated interests spanning both the sciences and literature, engaging with authors from Twain to Hugo. He graduated with a degree in chemistry from Baku State University. Alongside his literary endeavors, he pursued a professional career as an engineer at SOCAR. Now retired, he remains active in his writing. Abbasli is married and has two children.

Oeuvre

Writing in both Azerbaijani and Russian, Abbasli also translates fiction from English, German, and Russian sources. His short story “The School of Seven Villages,” published in 1996, earned him the “Creative Success” award and brought wider recognition. This story was later included in his collections Mirage (2000) and Dark Nights (2008).

A notable milestone in Abbasli’s literary career is his novel The Name of the Thief (2015), which delves into Azerbaijan’s turbulent twentieth-century history by depicting the tragic events endured by its people during the Karabakh conflict. The novel has been recognized as a significant contribution to this subject matter and is recommended for academic study.

In works such as Chimera and essays including “Death of Andrii” and “Criticism of the Wrong Review,” Abbasli investigates the societal responsibilities of writers.

His penultimate publication, On an Uninhabited Peninsula (Moscow – 2021), comprises Russian-language short stories that portray a broad spectrum of human emotions through sophisticated narrative methods. Among these is “The First Returner,” considered a profound exploration of human nature.

Abbasli’s 2019 story entitled “The Song of the Blind Man” offers a vivid depiction of an occupied Azerbaijani village and has been extensively translated and published. Critics commend his work for its contemporary relevance, emotional resonance, and inventive prose style.

His most recent scholarly publication Nizami Ganjavi Turkic Poet (Baku – 2021) challenges claims attributing Nizami Ganjavi to Persian literature by presenting compelling evidence affirming his Turkic origins.

Translations

Ramiz Abbasli’s engagement with translating fiction has been a significant aspect of his literary career since the 1990s. During the Soviet era in Azerbaijan, translations were predominantly made from Russian versions rather than directly from original languages—a practice that Abbasli openly opposed. His translation portfolio includes works by authors such as J. Joyce, A. Koppard, K. Mansfield, Galsworthy, Kafka, Hemingway, Sh. Anderson, H. Bell, I. Bachmann, J. Updike, and D.K. Oates; poetry by Yeats, Roetke, and Snyder; dramas by Yelinek and Pinter; as well as novels by Golding and Dickens. Abbasli has produced seven translated volumes, featuring English literary classics like A Tale of Two Cities, Lord of the Flies, and The Inheritors, along with the children’s book Jip and Janneke by Norwegian author Anna Schmidt. These translations marked the first time these works appeared in Azerbaijani and were extensively published in various newspapers and magazines throughout Azerbaijan. Each translation was paired with analytical essays such as “The Bright Star of Postmodern Literature – John Updike”, “Great Writer of the World – James Joyce”, and “Master of English Parable William Golding”. Over several decades, Abbasli’s translations from English, German, and Russian have considerably broadened Azerbaijani audiences’ exposure to international literature.

Awards

On November 27, 2021, Ramiz Abbasli was honored with the Order of Saint Anne (Russian Federation) in recognition of his outstanding contributions to literature.

Books

• School of Seven Villages – a collection of stories published by Sabah Publishing House, Baku – 1996;
• Mirage – novel released by Elm Publishing House, Baku – 2000;
• Dark Nights – a compilation including a novel, stories, and short tales issued by Nargiz Publishing House, Baku – 2008;
• The Name of the Thief – novel published by Elm və Təhsil Publishing House, Baku – 2015;
• "Khimera" – novel from Qanun Publishing House, Baku – 2018;
• Song of the Blind Man – short story collection published in Moscow – 2021;
• "Nizami Ganjavi Turkic Poet" – scholarly research issued by Qanun Publishing House, Baku – 2021;
• On an Uninhabited Peninsula – short story compilation released in Moscow – 2021.

Novels

• Agony
• Mirage
• The Name of the Thief
• Chimera

Narratives

• School of Seven Villages
• Aras Enamored with Kura
• Dark Nights

Stories

• Summer Day
• Gardens After Harvesting
• Cord Wood
• Self-Justification
• Scarlet Rose Petals
• Evening Bazaar
• Interview
• A Woman by the Sea
• Thermos with Cold Tea
• The Ninth Place (Russian)
• The Unnamed Boy (Russian)
• Full House (Russian)
• Temple on Mount Badri (Russian)
• Song of the Blind Man (Russian)
• Poisoned Coffee (Russian)
• First Returner (Russian)
• There, in Kremenchug (Russian)
• Rookie Brigade (Russian)
• On an Uninhabited Peninsula (Russian)

Articles

• Princess of Modern Literature – Azerbaijan Magazine, 2005, vol. 5
• On Falsifications in Thomas de Vaal’s The Black Garden – Almanac Karabach: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Baku, 2010
• Indifference to Folk Music and Disrespect to Mother Language – Gobustan Magazine, 2010, vol. 4
• "Simbolizm" – azyb.az website, 2015
• Master of the English Parable – in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Azerbaijani), Baku, 2017
• The Bright Star of Postmodernist Literature: John Updike – Ədəbiyyat Qəzeti Newspaper, August 15, 2015
• The Patriarch of Postmodernism: John Barth – Ədəbiyyat Qəzeti Newspaper, August 29, 2015
• European Postmodernism in Great Britain: Muriel Spark and William Golding – Ədəbiyyat Qəzeti Newspaper, November 2015
• Genocide in Umudlu: The Papravend Battle – 2017 (Azerbaijani)
• Papravend Village – 2017 (Azerbaijani)
• Anninsky’s Unwept Pain – 2017 (Azerbaijani); included in Song of the Blind Man, Moscow, 2019
• Scientific Study or Historical Falsification – 2017 (Russian); featured in Song of the Blind Man, Moscow, 2019
• The Scientific Study or History Rewriting – 2018 (English)
• Death of Andriy – featured in Song of the Blind Man, Moscow, 2019
• About Azerbaijan – Collection Vokrug Sveta, Moscow, 2021 No. 1 (Russian)
• Azerbaijan: The Pearl of the Caucasus – Collection Vokrug Sveta, Moscow, 2020 No. 2 (Russian)
• The Great Writer of the World (Azerbaijani) – Yeni Azerbaijan Newspaper, February 22, 2002
• The Great Masters of the Short Story (Azerbaijani) – Yeni Azerbaijan Newspaper, November 1, 2002
• A Writer Who Knew How to Write the Words of the People – in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Azerbaijani), Baku, 2017
• Iran’s Failed Attempts to Describe Azerbaijani Poet Nizami Ganjavi as Persian (article) – Azeri News (English), March 31, 2023

Translations

• John Galsworthy's short story Acme featured in the first volume of the magazine Ulduz.
• James Joyce's short stories including The Dead, Eveline, Ivy Day in the Committee Room, and Araby appeared across the magazines Dünya ədəbiyyatı, Ulduz, and the newspaper Yeni Azərbaycan between 2002 and 2006.
• Ingeborg Bachmann's works such as the poems Your Word, Shadows, and Roses Shadows, along with the short story Death Will Come, were published in the 2006 edition of Ulduz magazine.
• Donald Bisset's tales, including Magic Dream Tree and River of Words, were featured in the 2000 issue of Ulduz.
• Kathrine Mansfield's short stories, The Wind Blows and A Cup of Tea, appeared in both the magazine Ulduz and the newspaper Yeni Azərbaycan from 2003 to 2008.
• Muriel Spark’s short stories, such as The Very Fine Clock and If You Were to See What’s Happening There, were published in Ulduz magazine and the newspaper Ədəbiyyat qəzeti spanning from 1998 to 2015.
• Alfred Coppard’s short story titled Debt was included in the 1998 issue of Ulduz.
• Joyce Carol Oates' short story Where Have You Been, Where Are You Going? was published in the 2015 edition of the newspaper Ədəbiyyat qəzeti.
• John Updike’s short story, Walter Briggs, appeared in the 2015 issue of Ədəbiyyat qəzeti.
• An essay titled The Literature of Feebleness by Christopher Rid and others was featured in the 2015 edition of the newspaper Ədəbiyyat qəzeti.
• Gary Snyder’s poem Riprap was published in the 2015 issue of the newspaper Ədəbiyyat qəzeti.
• Svetlana Alexievich’s short stories including We'll Shoot at Who Cry, I'm Crying, I Was Firing, and Mother Cried: It Wasn't My Daughter were presented in the 2015 edition of the newspaper Ədəbiyyat qəzeti.
• Franz Kafka’s short stories such as I Was a Guest of the Dead, A Fratricide, Coal-miner, and Dreaming were published between 2002 and 2003 in newspapers including Yeni Azərbaycan, Ədalət, and ``Kaspi``.
• Friedrich Nietzsche’s essay titled A Madman appeared in the 2003 issue of the newspaper ``Ədalət``.
• Heinrich Böll’s short stories including ``My Expensive Leg``, ``The Deads Disobey the Order``, and ``Street Show`` were published during 2002–2003 across newspapers ``Yeni Azərbaycan`` and ``Kaspi``.
• Elfriede Jelinek’s works such as short stories ``Paula`` and ``My Dears``, along with the play ``Girl and Death``, appeared in magazines ``Ulduz``, ``Azərbaycan``, and ``Dünya ədəbiyyatı`` in 2005.
• Sherwood Anderson’s short story ``Departure`` was featured in ``Yeni Azərbaycan`` newspaper in 2002.
• Helmut Haysenbuttel’s short story ``Water Painter`` was published in ``Ədalət`` newspaper, 2003.
• Harold Pinter’s poems alongside his play ``Uncommunicative Waiter`` appeared in ``Ulduz`` magazine, 2006.
• Rachel Hutmacher’s short story titled ``Escape`` was included in ``Yeni Azərbaycan`` newspaper, 2003.
• Ludwig Pels’ short story ``Home`` was published by ``Yeni Azərbaycan`` newspaper in 2002.
• Katheline Foyle’s tale-short story, ``My Fife-player Elephant``, appeared in ``Yeni Azərbaycan`` newspaper, 2003.
• James Barry’s tale-short story ``Peter Pen`` was printed in ``Ədalət`` newspaper, 2003.
• Helen Simpson’s short story titled ``Tree`` was featured in ``Ulduz`` magazine, 2004.
• Ernest Hemingway’s short stories including ``Indian Camp``, ``Cat in the Rain``, and ``Old Man on the Bridge`` were published across both ``Ulduz`` magazine and the newspaper ``İki Sahil`` in 1999.
• Gram Green’s short story called ``Special Duties`` appeared in the newspaper ``Yeni Azərbaycan``, 2001.
• William Butler Yeats’ poems such as ``The Dolls``, ``Wild Swans at Coole``, and ``To Ann Gregory`` are available on the website “azyb.az”.
• John Steinbeck’s short story titled ``Chrysanthemum`` was published by magazine ``Azərbaycan``, 2008.
• Maron Monica’s short story named ``Animal Passion`` appeared in the magazine ``Ulduz``, 2005.
• Hew Lofting’s tale about Doctor Dolittle featured as a short story in magazine ``Ulduz``, 2002.
• Theodor Roethke’s poems were included within a 2005 issue of magazine ``Ulduz``.
• William Golding's selected works—including his Nobel Lecture, *Lord of the Flies*, and *The Inheritors*—were published by Sharg-Garb Publishing House, Baku, in 2010.
• James Joyce's *The Dubliners*, translated with Alisa Nijat, was released by Ganun Publishing House, Baku, in 2011.
• Gary Snyder's poetry appeared in issue number three of magazine *Ulduz*, published in 2017.
• Charles Dickens’ *A Tale of Two Cities* was issued by Ganun Publishing House, Baku, in 2018.
• William Golding's *Lord of the Flies* was published by Ganun Publishing House, Baku, in 2017.
• Anna Schmidt’s *Jip and Janneke* came out under Ganun Publishing, Baku, in 2018.

English Translations of Works

• Nizami Ganjavi Turkic Poet, published in Baku – 2021
• Song of the Blind Man (short story), featured in the literary magazine Russian Bell, volume 4, Moscow – 2020
• The scientific study or rewriting of history – Ramiz Abbasli’s response to Jost Gipert, available on Internet Archive

External links

• Azerbaijani Writers of the 20th Century. Encyclopedic reference. Baku – 2004 (Azerbaijani language)
• S. Aliyeva, E. Malakhova. "Masterpieces of World Literature in Azerbaijani," Zerkalo, February 20, 2010, p. 22
• Vokrug sveta. Collection. Moscow – 2020, Issue No.1
• Rossiyskiy Kolokol. M.Yu. Lermontov Literary Prize. Moscow – 2019
• Publications authored by Ramiz Abbasli