In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, under the influence of democratization movements in Europe, various activities took place in empires such as Russia and the Ottoman Empire in order to restrict the power of the tsar or the sultan. As a result of these activities in Russia, a partial environment of freedom emerged with the proclamation of the constitutional monarchy in 1905. This atmosphere made itself felt in Azerbijan, and activities in many fields, especially in the press and education, increased. During this period, many intellectuals made important efforts to raise public awareness and education. One of the these names was Sultan Mecid Ganizâde, a versatile personality. Sultan Mecid Ganizâde (1866-1937), one of the cornerstones of Azerbaijani literature, although he was known as an educator, he produced works in many fields such as novels, stories, theatre and poetry. The autor, who wrote textbooks and dictionary works, has translations from other languages. Ganizâde, who gave importance to theatre, worked actively in theatre troupes in Azerbaijan together with Neriman Nerimanov and Habib Bey Mahmudbeyov (1864-1928) and pioneered young talents to take the stage. The author, who worked in the field of education for about fifty years, founded the first Russian-Azerbaijani School together with his friend Habib Bey Mahmudbeyov, and held different positions in the education community such as teacher, school director, inspector, dictionary commission member. One of the victims of the Stalin-era state terror, Ganizâde was arrested on changes of being a regime opponent and executed by firing squad in 1937. In this study, the theme of "woman" in the novels and stories of Ganizâde, one of the important figures in the development of contemporary Azerbaijani literature, will be emphasized and how the author positions female characters in his literary works will be examined.
Azerbaijani literature, novel, story, Sultan Mecid Ganizâde, woman