Azernews.Az

A book exhibition titled “People’s Poet Rasul Rza – 115” has opened at the National Library, dedicated to the 115th anniversary of the birth of the renowned Azerbaijani poet Rasul Rza.

Azernews reports, citing Azertag, that the exhibition features works by Rasul Rza that reflect high artistic value, humanism, national spirit, and diversity. Also on display are books compiled, edited, or translated by him, as well as publications about his life and literary career, and musical scores composed to his poems — all presented in both Azerbaijani and foreign languages.

People’s Poet Rasul Rza (Rasul Ibrahim oglu Rzayev) was born on May 19, 1910, in the city of Goychay. From 1927 to 1937, he studied at various educational institutions, including the Transcaucasian Communist University, the Azerbaijan State Research Institute, the Moscow Institute of Nations, and the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography.

His first poem, “Today,” was published in 1927 in the “Spark” almanac in Tbilisi. From then on, his poetry, notable for its modern spirit, began attracting readers’ attention. Poems such as “Europe’s Hour of Death,” “Arsh,” “To an August,” and “News of the Black Wind” appeared in the pages of the newspaper Young Worker.

During World War II, Rasul Rza served as a military correspondent. His wartime poetry collections “Motherland” and “Revenge! Revenge...”, as well as prose works like “Immortal Heroes,” “Anger and Love,” and the play “Loyalty” reflect the people’s heroic struggle and faith in victory.

Among his well-known poetry collections are “Poems” (1959), “The Light Falling on My Window” (1962), “Emotions, Thoughts” (1964), “Endurance” (1965), “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” (1973), “The South and the North” (1977), “Facing the Wind” (1979), and the celebrated “Colors” series.

His poem “If Only There Were No Roses” is considered one of the most significant Azerbaijani literary works on the victims of Stalinist repression. The poem draws inspiration from the life and fate of poet Mikayil Mushfig.

In addition to his literary work, Rasul Rza was active in public and political life. He held several government positions: in 1939, he became Chairman of the Azerbaijan Writers’ Union; from 1945 to 1948, he served as Minister of Cinematography of Azerbaijan; from 1966 to 1975, he was Editor-in-Chief of the Azerbaijan Encyclopedia; and from 1960 to 1981, he chaired the Committee for Solidarity with the Peoples of Asia and Africa. In 1964, he was elected a member of the Board of the USSR Writers’ Union.

He passed away in 1981.

Since 2005, Rasul Rza’s house in Goychay has operated as a museum. A street in Baku and a dry cargo ship of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company are named after him. A literary prize also bears his name.