Mirza Ali-Akbar Sabir: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{Infobox writer

{{short description|Azerbaijani poet (1862-1911)}}

| name = Mirza Ali-Akbar Sabir

{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->

| nameimage = MirzaMirzə AlakbarƏləkbər Sabir.jpg

| image imagesize = Sabir.jpg

| caption = Portrait of Mirza Ali-Akbar Sabir

| imagesize = 200px

| birth_name =

| caption = Sabir, early 1900s

| birth_date = 30 May 1862

| pseudonym = Mirat, Sabir, Hop-Hop, Fasil

| birth_place = [[Shamakhi]], [[Russian Empire]]

| birth_name = Alakbar Zeynalabdin oglu Tahirzadeh

| birth_datedeath_date = 3012 MayJuly 18621911

| birth_placedeath_place = [[ShamakhyBaku]], [[Russian Empire]]

| resting_place =

| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1911|07|12|1862|05|30}}

| occupation = Satirist and poet▼

| death_place = [[Shamakhy]], [[Azerbaijan Democratic Republic]]

| language = {{cslist|[[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]]|[[Persian language|Persian]]}}

▲| occupation =

| notableworks =

| period = 1903-1911

| genre = [[Lyric poetry]], [[Satire]], [[Literary realism]]=

| subjectpseudonym = Sabir, Hophop, etc

| subjects = Religion, politics, etc

| movement =

| signature years_active =

| children =

}}

'''Mirza AlakbarAli-Akbar SabirTahirzada''' ({{lang-az|میرزا علی اکبر صابر}};: born '''Alakbar Zeynalabdin oglu Tahirzadeh''' (30 May 1862, in [[Shamakhy]] – 12 July 1911), incommonly Shamakhy)known wasby anhis [[Azerbaijani people|Azerbaijanipseudonym]] satirical'''Sabir''' poet({{lang|az|صابر}}), publicwas figure,a philosophersatirist and teacher.poet Hein setthe up[[Russian aEmpire]], newwho attitudeplayed toa classicalleading traditions,role rejectingin well-troddendevelopment waysof in[[Azerbaijani poetryliterature]].

He grew up in a religious, middle-class household that opposed modern education. During his adolescence, he became a pupil of the distinguished poet [[Seyid Azim Shirvani]], who established a modern institution where various subjects were taught. With Seyid Azim Shirvani's support, Sabir began translating Persian poetry and writing his own Azerbaijani poetry. Although his father initially wanted him to work in the family grocery store, he eventually accepted Sabir's literary ambitions after the latter's strong opposition, including a failed attempt to flee to [[Mashhad]]. In 1903, Sabir published his debut poem in the [[Tbilisi]] newspaper ''Sharq-e Rus'', and by 1909, he was writing for the satirical magazine ''[[Molla Nasraddin (magazine)|Molla Nasraddin]]''. His works covered a wide range of topics, including political satire and social commentary, often criticizing corrupt officials and religious hypocrisy. Sabir's innovative use of Azerbaijani set his poetry apart from traditional forms. He spent his last years in [[Baku]], where he died in 1911.

== Life ==▼

Mirza Alakbar Sabir was born on May 30, 1862, in [[Shamakhi]] into a poor family. At that time the [[Islam]] religion dominated the society. His mother, Saltanat, was a religious Muslim. His father Zeynalabdin Tahirzadeh was a merchant. He had 7 sisters and a brother. He received his primary education in a theological school. Sabir was brought up in a patriarchal-religious atmosphere. In 1874, when he was twelve years old, Alakbar entered the school of [[Seyid Azim Shirvani]], a poet and teacher, where unlike traditional schools, general education subjects, as well as the Azerbaijani and Russian languages were taught. At that time, this school was considered very progressive. Personal contacts with this man greatly influenced the formation of Sabir as a poet. Encouraged by [[Seyid Azim Shirvani|Seyid Azim]], Sabir began translating [[Persian literature|Persian poetry]] and wrote poems in Azerbaijani.

== Biography ==

On April 11, 1908, the poet, who took exams at the Spiritual Department of the Baku Province, went to [[Tbilisi|Tiflis]] and received a diploma for a mother tongue and a Shariah teacher from the Caucasian Sheikh-ul-Islam Office. However, after a letter he received from [[Gori, Georgia|Gori]], he worked for some time as an assistant teacher in a Shamakhi school.

Sabir's birth name was Mirza Ali-Akbar Tahirzada. He was born on 30 May 1862 in the city of [[Shamakhi]],{{sfn|Javadi|2020}} then ruled by the [[Russian Empire]]. At the time, it was the largest city in the [[Shirvan]] region.{{sfn|Bosworth|2020}} Like the majority of Muslims in the [[South Caucasus]],{{sfn|Rezvani|2015|p=154}} Sabir's native tongue was [[Turkic languages|Turkic]]{{sfn|Hodgkin|2023|p=45}} and he was an adherent of [[Shia Islam]]. He grew up in a religious, middle-class household where they did not seem to want to give him a modern education. During the start of his adolescence, he became a pupil of the distinguished poet [[Seyid Azim Shirvani]], who had established a modern institution where [[Arabic]], [[Persian language|Persian]], [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani Turkic]], [[Russian language|Russian]] and other topics were taught. Sabir started translating Persian poetry and writing Azerbaijani poetry with the support of Seyid Azim Shirvani.{{sfn|Javadi|2020}}

Sabir's father wanted him to work in the family's [[grocery store]], thinking that a few years of education would be sufficient. However, he eventually allowed Sabir to continue his literary research, due to the latters strong opposition, including an attempt to flee to [[Mashhad]] by a caravan. In Shirvan's literary circles, Sabir made a lot of acquaintances and composed numerous ''[[ghazal]]s'' in the style of Persian poets, especially [[Nizami Ganjavi]]. In 1885, he travelled to several cities in [[Qajar Iran|Iran]] and [[Central Asia]], thus expanding his intellectual knowledge and later inspired to write about the locals there. Following his return home, he married and became the father of eight daughters and one son.{{sfn|Javadi|2020}}

In September of that year, Sabir was able to open "Umid" school. There were about 60 students in this school. As in other new schools, students are sitting on the bench, using visual aids, and taking short excursions. At the school, the mother tongue, the Persian language, geography, and nature, as well as the [[Quran]] and [[Sharia]] lessons were taught.

Due to his large family, Sabir was forced to work a lot. He made soap for fifteen years, during which time he would joke "I make soap to wash away the external dirt of my countrymen." He attempted to establish a school in the European tradition, but failed. He also received numerous anonymous and hostile letters as a result of his criticism of the conversative factions. It was reportedly the journalist Hasem Beik Vezirov who sent him some of these letters. In the journal ''Sada'', Sabir replied to him: "I am a poet, the mirror of my age/ in me everyone sees his own face/ As it happened yesterday, ‘a person’ looked at me /Seeing none other than himself in the mirror." {{sfn|Javadi|2020}}

Mirza Alekper Sabir died July 12, 1911, in the prime of his creative power. Sabir was buried in his hometown of Shamakhi in the cemetery "Yeddi Gumbez" ("Seven domes"), at the foot of the hill.[[File:Mirza Alakbar Sabir.jpg|150px|thumb|left|Mirza Alakbar Sabir]]

[[Image:Sabir in Molla Nasreddin.jpg|thumb|Depiction of Mirza Ali-Akbar Sabir in a issue of ''[[Molla Nasraddin (magazine)|Molla Nasraddin]]'', with the headline "Our sick poet Sabir. God is angry with him for writing such irreligious words." Dated 29 May 1911]]

Throughout all his life poverty impacted Sabir. He was bound to take care of his family's welfare, barely earning a living for himself and his household. No time was left for literary activity, the more so as the spectre of poverty took more and more distinct shape. Sabir tried to become a merchant but did not succeed. Instead, he travelled a lot about Central Asia and the Middle East.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/saber|title=ṢĀBER - MIRZĀ ʿALI-AKBAR ṬĀHERZĀDA}}</ref>

In 1903, Sabir's debut poem was published in the [[Tbilisi]] newspaper ''Sharq-e Rus''. He was unknown outside of Shamakhi at the time. In 1909, he became a writer of ''[[Molla Nasraddin (magazine)|Molla Nasraddin]]'' satirical magazine, which was also based in Tbilisi.{{sfn|Javadi|2020}} During a time where classical Persian poetry was favored by the elite and writers, ''Molla Nasraddin'' used the everyday language of the Turks of the South Caucasus, a practice which was also taking place in other satirical journals.{{sfn|Hodgkin|2023|pp=42, 45}} With an extensive readership spanning the [[Volga region]], [[Siberia]], [[Anatolia]], Iran, and [[South Asia|South]] and Central Asia, ''Molla Nasraddin'' had the largest audience of all the Muslim publications of the [[Russian Revolution of 1905]]. This was largely due to the abundance of political cartoons that were even understandable to the uneducated.{{sfn|Hodgkin|2023|p=44}}

Sabir used many [[pseudonym]]s, but was commonly known as Sabir ("patient") and Hophop ("[[hoopoe]]"). Sabir and the editor of ''Molla Nasraddin'', [[Jalil Mammadguluzadeh]], were well-known proponents of using Turkic in literature.{{sfn|Hodgkin|2023|p=45}} Sabir also published for numerous other journals, including ''Hayat'', ''Fuyuzat'', ''Rahbar'', ''Dabestan'', ''Olfat'', ''Ershad'', ''Haqiqat'', ''Yeni Haqiqat'' and ''Ma'lumat''.{{sfn|Javadi|2020}} Due to his work, Sabir made countless enemies both at home and overseas. Both he and ''Molla Nasreddin'' were labeled as heretical by some of the conversative mullahs in [[Tabriz]]. As the opposition against Sabir escalated, he defended his beliefs in a poem dedicated to the inhabitants of Shirvan:{{sfn|Javadi|2020}}

== Career ==▼

{{quote|I am a Shi'ite, but not in the ways you desire<br>I am a Sunni, but not like the examples you like. I am a Sufi, but not like the ones you describe. I am a lover of truth, O people of Shirvan.}}

Mirza Alakbar Sabir wrote his first poem when he was eight years old. His works reflected both positive and negative features of life in Azerbaijan. In the early years, he wrote only [[Ghazals|lyrical ghazals]], [[elegy]], laudatory and mourning poems. His first work was printed in 1903 in the newspaper "Shargi-Rus" ("Russian East"). Between 1903 and 1905, Sabir collaborated in several newspapers and magazines such as "'''Debistan'''" (Sad School), "'''Zenbur'''" (Ovod), "'''Irshad'''" (Guide), "'''Hagigat'''" (Truth), and "'''Hayat'''" (Life).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sabirmuseum.az/en/life-and-activities/|title=LIFE AND ACTIVITIES}}</ref>

Unable to remain in Shamakhi, Sabir moved to [[Baku]], a more modern and international city, where he worked as a teacher in 1910. Nearly all of his short satirical pieces, known as ''Taziyanaler'' ("The Whips") were written there. Due to a liver condition, he briefly returned to Shamakhi for treatment, while his poems were being published by ''Molla Naṣreddin'' and ''Gunesh''. He died on 12 July 1911 in Baku.{{sfn|Javadi|2020}}

In 1900, after studying abroad, the modern-minded young poet [[Abbas Sahhat]] returned to Shamakhi, in whose house the local [[intelligentsia]] often gathered. Sabir attracted the attention of Abbas Sahhat and they began a close friendship that lasted until the death of Sabir. Abbas Sahhat, appreciating Sabir's talent, always encouraged and supported him.

▲== LifeWork ==

The Russian Revolution of 1905 had a powerful effect on Sabir's writing, infusing it with a revolutionary spirit. This revolution, which was followed by the spreading of democratic trends throughout the Russian Empire, marked the beginning of a new era in Sabir's literary activity. The shock waves of upheaval brought about a host of satirical publications. The most prominent of them was the ''[[Molla Nasraddin (magazine)|Molla Nasraddin]]'' magazine, which was popular all over the Caucasus, Middle East and Central Asia, its publisher being [[Jalil Mammadguluzadeh]]. Sabir's best, most creative mature years are associated with this publication. His pen did not miss a single political event, a single problem typical for the still the feudal-patriarchal Azerbaijani society and he embodied his ideas in stirring, thought-provoking images. He took an active part in the activity of the journal, exposing the negative sites of the society in his poems, passionately condemning the behaviour and actions of the rich people. He wrote about the arbitrariness of Tsarist officials, landowners and [[bey]]s ignorant to their people, the backwardness of the clergy, the down-trodden status of women and the social situation of the working people.

Sabir was known for his use of various poetic forms, such as ''[[qasida]]'', ''ghazal'', ''[[mathnawi]]'', ''[[ruba'i]]'', and ''bahr-e tavil''. He sometimes engaged with well-known poems by taking their first line and adding his own twist, thus creating a reinterpretation of the original work. Several passages of the Persian epic ''[[Shahnameh]]'' by [[Ferdowsi]] were translated into Azerbaijani verse by Sabir, including the story of [[Siyavash]].{{sfn|Javadi|2020}}

A vast range of topics are covered in Sabir's satirical works, from moments in social and personal life at home to the [[Russo-Japanese War|Japanese victory against the Russians]]. His work included a significant amount of political satire, with subjects ranging from the Iranian [[shah]] [[Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar]] to the [[German Emperor]] [[Wilhelm II]], and from the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] sultan [[Abdul Hamid II]] to unintelligent [[mullah]]s and corrupt low-ranking officials. He frequently criticized religious hypocrisy, and satirized chauvinistic males and superstitious, naive women.{{sfn|Javadi|2020}} Sabir also wrote in other genres than satire, such as in 1905, when he wrote the formal poem "To our Muslim and Armenian Compatriots" for ''Hayat''. The purpose of this poem was to remind community leaders of their responsibility to educate people and avoid misinformation, while also urging cooperation among activists from multiple communities:{{sfn|Hodgkin|2023|pp=45–46}}

Sabir contributed significantly to the revolutionary movement in Iran and Turkey between 1905 and 1910. In his poems, he caustically criticized the regime of Sultan Abdul-Hamid and Mohammed Ali Shah. Realism, socio-political lyricism and keen satire - these are the main elements that characterize the work of Sabir, who played a revolutionizing role in educating the young generation.

{{Verse translation

Sabir's poetry won him the people's respect and popularity, at the same time, placing him in a very risky and dangerous position. He was exposed to persecution, attacks and insults of the officials, mullahs and qochus (bouncers), who threatened him with reprisals. That's why Sabir (this pen-name means patience) had more than fifty pen-names such as Mirat, Fazil, Aglar-Guleghen and others. But even this could not help him escape from persecution. One of his earliest pseudonyms was “Hop-Hop”, which means the name of a type of bird.

|

Müslimanla ermänilär beyninä düshdü fäsad,

Yokhmu bir sahib-hidayät, yokhmu bir ähl-i räshad?!

Ey sükhän-danan, bu günlär bir hidayät väqtidir!

Ülfät-ü ünsiyyätä dair khitabät väqtidir!

|Discord has fallen between the Muslims and Armenians,

Is there no one to offer guidance, no one possessing the right path?!

You who know discourse: these days, it’s time for some guidance!

It’s time for sermons on friendship and fellowship!

}}

The poem uses a straightforward language, but not informal. The tone is relatively professional and official, such as the use of the Persian phrase "ähl-i räshad". "Some verses and phrases that disregard the Turkish language" were corrected by a ''Hayat'' copy editor, though it is unknown if these were Persian or informal terms.{{sfn|Hodgkin|2023|p=46}}

For the first time in Azerbaijani literature, Sabir’s social satires raised the issue of [[class oppression]]. The political satires reflected the dispersal of the [[State Duma]] in Russia, the intrigues of autocracy against the liberation movement in the countries of the Middle East, the intrigues of international reaction. In social satires, “What do we need?”, “Crying”, “Beggar”, “What do I have to do?”, “Complaint of the old man” and others, Sabir, for the first time in the Azerbaijani literature, raised the question of inequality in society.

In the ''Fuyuzat'', a [[Mysticism|mystical]] [[ode]] to "The Word" ("Söz") is made by Sabir. The final couplet connects his pen name with the journal's title, appealing to "The Word":{{sfn|Hodgkin|2023|p=46}}

Poverty, overstrain, endless cares of his large family and persecution adversely affected his health. He boiled soap for a living and was often ill. In 1910 Sabir's liver disease took a serious turn that turned out to be irreversible. Even when ill, Sabir continued to write. Not long before his death, he said to his friends who stood at his bedside: "I laid my flesh down for my people. But if God would give me more time, I would lay my bones down too..."

{{Verse translation

== Hophopname ==

|Vijdan-ü dil-i Sabirä näshr eylä füyuzin,

After his death, in honour of Sabir's memory, his wife Bullurnise, and his friends [[Abbas Sahhat]] and M. Mahmudbeyov collected Sabir`s poems and published them under the name "Hophopname" in 1912. Two years later, the second, better edition of the “Hophopname” was released by the people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.visions.az/en/news/416/d5296a0e/|title=A MIRROR OF HIS TIME: THE POET M. A. SABIR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bakumodernschool.az/kitablar/bedii-edebiyyat/mirze-elekber-sabir-hophopname1-jild.pdf|title=Hophopnamə|website=bakumodernschool.az|access-date=2019-01-14}}</ref> Using a wide range of expressive means, some of which were introduced by him to Azerbaijani poetry for the first time, Sabir made a gallery of social types of carriers of various vices of ignorance, inertia, and moneymakers who betrayed the interests of the people in this book.

Ta kim, bitä könlündä räyahin-i kämalat

|Imprint your graces [füyuz] on Sabir’s heart and conscience

So that in his heart, the fragrant herbs of perfection might grow

}}

His use of Persian grammatical forms ("ta kim") and classical tropes ("the fragrant herbs of perfection") characterize his [[Persianate]] phrasing in this passage. Sabir had no difficulty in writing in a elegant and complex style, but for sarcastic lyrics, he favored a different approach. Such a skill was common among journalists and activists who were not recognized for their Persianate poetry.{{sfn|Hodgkin|2023|p=46}}

Sabir’s poems, his caustic epigrams, verbal self-character portraits appeared on the pages of Molla Nasreddin magazine with colorful illustrations by the artist [[Azim Azimzade]] and became the property of an international reader, as the magazine was received in the cities of [[Russia]], [[Iran]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Egypt]], India, and other countries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.azerbaijan.az/portal/Culture/Literature/literature_08_r.html|title=КЛАССИКИ АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНСКОЙ ЛИТЕРАТУРЫ}}</ref>

== Legacy and assessment ==

==See also==

*[[House-MuseumImage:Mirzə Ələkbər Sabirin qəbri (1).jpg|thumb|The grave of Mirza AlakbarAli-Akbar Sabir]]

According to the modern Iranian historian Hasan Javadi; "In the art of poetic satire Sabir surpasses all others in Azerbaijani literature." As noted by Sabirs friend and writer [[Abbas Sahhat]], a literary literature in Azerbaijani literature was sparked by Sabir. After him, very few people desired to return to the traditional form of Azerbaijani poetry because of the stark contrast he made between that and its modern variant. In addition to using new themes and topics, Sabir also used new, poetic language that worked together with the topics he wrote about. His vocabulary was very different from the formal language of the previous poets in that it was informal, witty, and energetic. The distinguished Iranian lexicographer and satirist [[Ali-Akbar Dehkhoda]] wrote that "Sabir was a great innovator in Azerbaijani literature. He was a child of one night who traveled the way of one hundred years, and surpassed the thoughts and the writers of his age by centuries. He was incomparable in depicting political and social problems."{{sfn|Javadi|2020}}

During the [[Persian Constitutional Revolution|Iranian Constitutional Revolution of 1905–1911]], in the defensive lines of Tabriz, the Constitutionalists chanted Sabir's political satire. Sabir's writings were openly translated or modified by the Iranian poet and journalist [[Ashraf Gilani]] for his newspaper ''[[Nasim-e-Shomal]]''. In a letter dated 17 June 1954, the Iranian-[[Soviet Union|Soviet]] poet [[Abolqasem Lahouti]] wrote to Sabir's biographer Mir Ahmadov the following: "Sabir’s poetry is so simple, fluent, intelligent, brave and well-liked by people and so imbued with a courageous spirit that it leaves a great impression on the minds of people desiring freedom." Lahouti continued by saying that Sabir was a major influence on not just him but also the majority of this generation of Iranian satirists.{{sfn|Javadi|2020}}

==References==▼

{{Reflist}}

Compared to the European ''[[avant-garde]]'' and its small circle of Turco-Persian followers, Sabir's poetry had a bigger influence on poetic innovation across the Muslim communities of South Caucasus, Iran, and Central Asia.{{sfn|Hodgkin|2023|p=45}}

==External links==

*[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/saber Encyclopaedia Iranica. Ṣāber, Mirzā Ali-Akbar Ṭāherzāda]

▲== References ==

{{Azerbaijani Turkic literature}}▼

{{reflist|2}}

{{Persian Constitutional Revolution Persions}}

▲== CareerSources ==

* {{cite web|url=https://doi.org/10.1163/2330-4804_EIRO_COM_10804|title=Šervān|first=Clifford Edmund|last=Bosworth|authorlink=Clifford Edmund Bosworth|year=2020|access-date=7 October 2024|publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]]|website=Encyclopaedia Iranica Online}}

* {{Cite book|last=Hodgkin|first=Samuel|date=2023|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-obtEAAAQBAJ&newbks|title=Persianate Verse and the Poetics of Eastern Internationalism|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|isbn=978-1009411639}}

* {{cite web|url=https://doi.org/10.1163/2330-4804_EIRO_COM_1088|title=Ṣāber|first=Hasan|last=Javadi|year=2020|access-date=7 October 2024|publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]]|website=Encyclopaedia Iranica Online}}

* {{Cite book|last=Rezvani|first=Babak|date=2015|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=juziBQAAQBAJ|title=Conflict and Peace in Central Eurasia|series=International Comparative Social Studies|volume=31|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|isbn=978-90-04-27636-9}}

== Further reading ==

* {{EI2|last=Ed.|first=|volume=8|title=Ṣābir|url=https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_6375}}

▲{{Azerbaijani Turkic literature}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sabir, Mirza AlakbarAli-Akbar}}

[[Category:1862 births]]

[[Category:1911 deaths]]

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[[Category:Azerbaijani satirists]]

[[Category:People from Shamakhi]]

[[Category:People of the Persian Constitutional Revolution]]

[[Category:Lyric poets]]

[[Category:Translators from Persian]]