Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

The awarding ceremony of talented poet Fikret Goja with “Sharaf” order has been held at the Azerbaijan Writers Union.

Speaking at the event Deputy Prime Minister, writer Elchin Efendiyev noted that Fikret Goja’s creativity plays important role in the upbringing of the young generation in patriotic spirit. He said that the poet has made a great contribution to the Azerbaijani literature.

Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfaz Garayev, in turn, noted that President Ilham Aliyev signed an order awarding Fikret Goja with "Sharaf” order for his merits in development of the national literature.

Garayev presented Fikret Goja the award and a congratulatory letter from the President on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the national poet.

People's poet Fikrat Goja was born in Agdash in 1935 to the family of a therapist. He, however, would not choose his father’s path. After graduating from high school he entered the railway technical school in Baku and became a mechanical engineer and even participated in the construction of the Baku Metro. While working on a concrete mixer, the thoughtful young man was actively writing poetry. His talent beckoned him.

Later the poet moved to Moscow and graduated from the Literary Institute in 1964. His first collection of poems under the simple title "Poems" was published in Moscow at the time. His next series was published in Baku, titled “The seagull.”

Fikret Goja captured the spirit of the '60s, an era when the ancient chains of slavery were crumbling, creating a number of rebellious works.

The poet visited various countries and dedicated poems to national liberation movements in these countries, to such heroes as Cuban Che Guevara, Amilcar Cabral from Guinea, Jose Rizal in the Phillipines, Vietnam’s Lee Wee Tom, and others. In 1968, Fikret Goja was awarded the Lenin Komsomol prize for a poem dedicated to youth heroism and valor.

Today Fikret Goja’s poetry is published in different languages almost all over the world. He is the author of many beautiful verses and poems that reflect universal values, philosophy, patriotism, and the eternal topic of people and time. His most memorable poems were dedicated to his homeland, the most famous of which are "I am Azerbaijani," "Mother ditch," "My Country, Azerbaijan," "I worship the fire" and many others.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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