QUOTES OF GREAT MEN

Mirza Alakbar Sabir and Jalil Mammadguluzade are most worshipful personalities in Azerbaijan’s Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism.

Heydar Aliyev,
Nationwide Leader of Azerbaijan

Mirza Alakbar Sabir not only adequately continued brilliant traditions of centuries-old Azerbaijani poetry, raising our literature to a qualitatively new level, but also turned up glories of a lord of the words and significantly enriched it in the eyes of public ideology.

Ilham Aliyev,
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Sabir’s satire embodies the painful souls of workers and peasants reeling under the oppression of capitalists and landlords. The poet’s greatness is that he created a fighting satire during the heaviest years of reactionary policy of the tsar’s autocracy. Sabir in all his verses branded despots, wished to help the oppressed. There isn’t a soul in this century such a skilful master of the words, dedicated to his people and revolution! Sabir is the poet,who publicly and directly expressed sufferings of the working class reeling under the oppression of capitalists and landlords.

Nariman Narimanov,
public and political figure, writer

I saw Sabir on his way to native city of Shamakhy from Tiflis. Like now, his pretty, drawn face is still before my eyes. I can hardly meet a person equal to him in the Caucasus.

Huseyn Javid,
prose writer and playwright

Sabir is a great person
Whom we will remember forever!

Samad Vurgun,
people’s poet of Azerbaijan

“Hophopname” opened all doors, taking a liking to both literate and illiterate persons. No poet at that time was loved by his people as the great Sabir.

Abdulla Shaig,
poet, writer and publicist

Sabir dissolved the age-old gap between old and new verses – no one would dare to get through it, turning back the clock. Sabir’s works served the Iranian Constitutional Revolution more than an army. To imagine, how much influence he made and what a great revolution he produced!

Abbas Sahat,
poet, playwright and translator

Sabir is sincere in his capacity as a philosopher, pedagogue and revolutionary.

Yusif Vezir Chemenzeminli
writer, statesman

Looking at the monument to Sabir, I cannot portray it as a stone statue at all, but a living Sabir, like a flaming torch in his hand, carrying the gracious light of his poetry.

Suleyman Rahimov,
people’s writer of Azerbaijan

Sabir is an outstanding poet not only in Azerbaijan, but also in Central Asia and the Middle East. I experience happiness at understanding Sabir. His struggle for freedom, democracy and the rights of the people against despotism, arbitrariness, dark forces and bourgeois liberalism is a true tool for those people that embarked on this path in my homeland. Before and after the revolution of 1908, not only progressive intellectuals, but also the ordinary masses of the people read Sabir’s poems fondly and passionately. He is still at the forefront of the Turkish people’s struggle for independence, democracy and freedom … We, genuine Turkish democrats, love and respect Sabir. Our poets and prose writers have come to recognize him as one of their ustads.

Nazim Hikmet,
Turkish poet,
International Peace Prize laureate

The satire, designed to make the people’s life easier as well as to teach them, was created only by Sabir, who was ultimately the only pioneer of the new era of wittiness.

Mammad Said Ordubadi,
poet, prose writer, playwright and honored art worker.

If the centuries-long poetry of Azerbaijan, which is famous for its rich, glorious traditions and great history, rises like a mountain range, Mirza Alakbar Sabir is undoubtedly one of its most unattainable, brightest and majestic peaks.

Mirza Ibrahimov,
academician, people’s writer of Azerbaijan

Each poem written by Sabir is a historic one that would allow for a full understanding of the conscience, public life and thinking of the people in 1906-1911. He found his calling in the fight for the nation’s revival and awakening in order to free them from ignorance.

Seyid Huseyn,
writer, critic, and teacher

Sabir, faithful to his ideas and convictions, gave color to all aspects of our existence.

Taghi Shahbazi Simurg,
writer, publicist and teacher

In Sabir’s poetry, there are certain lines that pervade our conscience.

Seyid Jafar Pishevari,
public figure

Sabir, a new voice to poetry, awakened his people out of illusions with sarcasm.

Memed Hasan Hajinskii,
architect and statesman

Sabir’s poetry is bounded with a spirit of simplicity and clarity, acuteness, creation, deep wisdom and fearlessness, and therefore, it finds the way to each freedom-loving person’s heart. Sabir was an inspiring light for me in writing my works in the spirit of freedom and independence. I am personally beholden to him for his great mastery. Other Iranian satirists would stand in full solidarity with me. Traveling across Central Asia, I came to such a conclusion that satirists in those countries had created their works under the influence of Sabir’s satire, as well.

Abolqasem Lahouti,
poet and satirist