Azernews.Az

A meeting dedicated to the life and creative work of Lev Nusimbaum, an ethnic Jewish Azerbaijani writer and author of the well-known "Ali and Nino" novel, who created under the Gurban Sayid pen-name, was held at the National Library named after Mirza Fatali Akhundov on Friday. The event was organized by the German embassy in Baku and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
"Ali and Nino" was published in German for the first time in Vienna in 1937 and was subsequently translated into 27 languages. Debates had long persisted in the literary community about the identity of its author, whose novel describes the historic developments that occurred in Azerbaijan in 1918-20. "Gurban Sayid" was presumed to be the pen-name of several Azerbaijani emigrant writers. A lengthy research has revealed, however, that "Ali and Nino" was a creation by Nusimbaum.
Nusimbaum emigrated to Germany from Baku in the 1920s. Afterwards, having accepted Islam, he became known as Muhammad Asad-bay. Toward the late 1930s, he had to leave Germany due to the threat of fascism.
Peer Stanchina, the German Ambassador to Azerbaijan, in his speech, described "Ali and Nino" as one of the most wonderful love stories.
Academician Hasan Guliyev, who is researching the life and creative work of Gurban Sayid, said about 20 books by the outstanding writer have been published in Azerbaijan in the past five years.
"I am proud that Azerbaijan had such a writer in the 20th century," he added.*