Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov serving a life sentence in Hungary for killing an Armenian serviceman over insulting Azerbaijan has translated another book by a Hungarian author into his native language.

After translating renowned Hungarian writer Magda Szabo’s novel, Safarov grew interested in the creative work of Hungarian novelist Ferenc Molnar (1878-1952), according to the Azerbaijani embassy in Hungary.

"Ramil Safarov chose Molnar’s most popular novel, ‘The Paul Street Boys’, for translation," the embassy said. "This cordial peace of work, filled with the sentiments of heroism and patriotism, was a book of reference for several generations of Hungarian readers. A contemporary Hungarian-American feature film has been made based on the novel. The Azerbaijani translation of Molnar’s novel will soon be released by a Baku-based publishing house."

The "Qapi" ("The Door") novel by 20th century writer Magda Szabo, translated by Safarov earlier this year, has also been in spotlight of the Hungarian public.

Miklos Nad of popular Hungarian newspaper Nepszava wrote concerning the reasons of Safarov’s imprisonment in his article: "Many members of Safarov’s family fell victim of warfare caused by the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, and he said in his testimony that the fellow student [the Armenian serviceman] ridiculed these tragic events and provoked him. It was all about honor, and Safarov had a nervous breakdown."

Nad linked the publication of "The Door" novel in Azerbaijani to this tragic turn in the translator’s life.

"The pillage and murders, wounds and spiritual traumas that don’t heal for decades, ethnic conflict and provocations, and, finally, the tragic encounter of the two persons in Budapest -- all this preceded readers in nine-million Azerbaijan being enabled to read Magda and Emerenc’s story in their own language. Nothing happens by accident, fatalists charge, but I don’t want to believe that."

According to the Hungarian journalist, Safarov, who is living through everyday hardship of imprisonment away from home, by his creative endeavors is trying to "open the world’s doors" between nations, even those in conflict.

"The Door" novel was prepared for publication at AssA-Irada news agency. The book was edited by the head of AssA-Irada news agency and AzerNEWS Weekly, PhD Fazil Abbasov.

Safarov, 34, was handed down a life sentence without the right to a parole for 30 years on charges of killing Armenian serviceman Gurgen Markaryan, who insulted the Azerbaijani flag during a NATO course in Budapest. The Azerbaijani public condemned the Hungarian court’s harsh sentence, which was pronounced in April 2006 after a lengthy trial.

Safarov hails from Jabrayil, one of Azerbaijan’s regions that are under Armenian occupation. He witnessed torture committed against his countrymen and was among those Azerbaijanis who were ousted from their homes during the brutal war with Armenia in the early 1990s.

20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, including the Nagorno Karabakh region, has been under Armenian occupation since the two South Caucasus republics signed a precarious cease-fire in 1994. Up to a million

Azerbaijanis were displaced in the war that claimed some 30,000 lives. Efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

This story is published by AzerNEWS Weekly under a project funded by the Foundation for State Assistance to the Development of the Media under the President of the Azerbaijan Republic.