Monument to the Azerbaijani thinker in Moscow

By Vestnik Kavkaza

This year Azerbaijan and Russia celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founder of Azerbaijani realistic literature, philosopher Mirza Fatali Akhundov. The unveiling ceremony of a monument to M.F. Akhundov, which was devoted to this event, it took place in the internal yard of the All-Russian State Library of Foreign Literature. The monument was created by the young Azerbaijani sculptor, Zaur Rzaev. At the unveiling ceremony he expressed gratitude to people who helped him in working: “I would like to thank the Heydar Aliyev Fund for this and the head of its Moscow office, Leila Aliyeva. They trusted me working on the monument. I also would like to express gratitude to the ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia, Polad Bul-Bul Ogly, and the People’s Artist, academician Tair Salakhov. They gave me pieces of advice which were most effective in creating the image of Mirza Fatali Akhundov. Moreover, I want to thank Vladimir Tsigal, the People’s Artist and academician, who helped me in the process of creating the monument. I thank my father, the sculptor Fakhraddin Rzayev, who helped me morally and shared his experience.”

“The constellation of our cultural centers has a unique one. It is the Azerbaijani Cultural Center,” Yekaterina Geniyeva, the general director of M.I. Rudomino All-Russian State Library of Foreign Literature, thinks. “It is unique not for its  decoration or the splendid books which are stored there, but because it is very important for us, people who live in Russia, that such a friendly and significant center as the Azerbaijani cultural center is situated inside our Russian space. The foundation and wonderful working of this center confirm that due to our mutual cultural and diplomatic efforts we are establishing a common cultural space. I must say this common cultural space includes not only Russia, which would be quite enough. It is a cultural space of the world. The cultural seed fell on fruitful soil.”

“Today is a significant day in the history of culture, in the history of relations between our two countries,” Polad Bul-Bul Ogly, extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of the Azerbaijani Republic in Russia, said. “We are unveiling a monument to a man who was a pioneer of this friendship, of these relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, Russian people and Azerbaijani people, Russian culture and Azerbaijani culture. It is important that grateful successors do not forget what the prominent people of the past had done. M. F. Akhudanov was a prominent man, prominent play-writer, writer, critic, thinker and philosopher. We are unveiling a monument to him in one of the most cultural capitals of the world. Along with the fact that Moscow is one of the most cultural capitals of the world, we are unveiling a monument to an Azerbaijani in the International Library where philosophical thoughts from many countries are stored. I feel happy as the ambassador and as a cultural activist that during my work as the ambassador to Russia this monument is being unveiled. I repeat that today is a historic day for all of us, for Azerbaijani culture, for Russian culture, because Mirza Fatali Akhundov was a bridge which connected Russia and Azerbaijan.”

“Mirza Fatali Akhundov is not only a great writer, but also a great philosopher, a great bridge between Russia and Azerbaijan, between Azerbaijan and world culture,” Andrey Dementyev, poet, member of the Civic Chamber, stated. “He spoke many languages, he was on service and had several Russian awards. He translated Russian poets. He wrote a splendid poem in memoriam of Alexander Pushkin. Baku is a very beautiful city. We have recently returned from there. Once we walked down the street and I saw a sculpture of Samed Vurgun. We came closer to the building. Do you know what a surprise was? A man who parked cars, not a scientist or a literature activist, but a common person, came to us and said: “Good day! Welcome to the house where Samed Vurgun lived on that floor in that year.” It is wonderful that common Azerbaijanis remember their great compatriots. Mirza Fatali Akhundov wrote not only novels and poems, but also plays, comedies and dramas. He was a provider of the incredible infinite and everlasting communication between Russia and Azerbaijan. Many thanks to the young sculptor for creating his image. I imagined him completely like that. He was on service; and the uniform and medals mean that he managed to serve his motherland, Russia, and art, he managed to write and left a huge heritage to us. Reverence to his memory, reverence to the Azerbaijani people who are international and patriotic – skills which we lack sometimes.”