Godina izdanja: 2014
ISBN: 978-9952-8216-7-3
Jezik: Engleski
Autor: Strani

Livre Essai - Portrait `Mahsati Gandjavi de Rafael HUSEYNOV`. * 2014
Text by Rafael Huseynov, Professor, Doctor of Philology
Portait of Mahsati Gunjaev by Gullu Mustafayeva, Honored Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan
izdavac Heydar Aliyev Fondation

MAHSATI GANJAVI IN THE STUDIES OF BRITISH ORIENTALISTS
The article deals with the research of British orientalists about Mahsati Ganjavi. It is noted that
Mahsati Ganjavi is a great Azerbaijani poetess of the XII century. She wrote her works mainly in
Persian, was known among creative people as the author of rubai. The purpose of the article is
to bring together all the studies about Mahsati Ganjavi, carried out by British orientalists from
the early XX century to the present, and to provide the main details mentioned in these researches.
The article uses methods of analysis of manuscript data, as well as a method of comparison.
The novelty of the article is to study all the researches about Mahsati Ganjavi made in the UK,
and to provide important information about the manuscript of the novel “Mahsati and Amir Ahmad”,
which is stored in the British Library, as well as a ceramic bowl decorated with Mahsati Ganjavi’s
rubai in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Results. In 2013, UNESCO decided to celebrate the 900th anniversary of Mahsati Ganjavi in
the world. Mahsati Ganjavi’s bold poetry has been translated into many languages, including Eng-
lish, and is studied by British orientalists. Professor Edward Brown wrote about Mahsati Ganja in
his book “A Literary History of Persia”. In turn, Meredith Owens in 1969 published an article on
the manuscript of the novel “Mahseti and Amir Ahmad”, which is in the British Library. Another
recent study by Marley Hammond provides information on Mahsati Ganjavi, as well as a ceramic
bowl decorated with the Mahsati Ganjavi rubai, which is housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum
in London. Mahsati Ganjavi’s biography and some of her rubai were translated in the book Bor-
rowed ware, written by orientalist Dick Davis. In 2013, the BBC aired a program about Mahsati
Ganjavi, presented by Nargez Farzad.
Conclusions. Thus, all these studies are very important for the recognition of Mahsati Ganjavi
in the world and consideration of her life and work. The translation of such bold poetry into English
plays an important role in the recognition and study of Azerbaijani classical literature not only in
Great Britain but also in the world.
Key words: Mahsati Ganjavi, Azerbaijani literature, rubai, language of poetry, free-thinking,
feminist ideas, intimate poetry.

245
УДК 821.111
DOI
Mammadova Ilaha Salahaddin
Baku Engineering University
MAHSATI GANJAVI IN THE STUDIES OF BRITISH ORIENTALISTS
The article deals with the research of British orientalists about Mahsati Ganjavi. It is noted that
Mahsati Ganjavi is a great Azerbaijani poetess of the XII century. She wrote her works mainly in
Persian, was known among creative people as the author of rubai. The purpose of the article is
to bring together all the studies about Mahsati Ganjavi, carried out by British orientalists from
the early XX century to the present, and to provide the main details mentioned in these researches.
The article uses methods of analysis of manuscript data, as well as a method of comparison.
The novelty of the article is to study all the researches about Mahsati Ganjavi made in the UK,
and to provide important information about the manuscript of the novel “Mahsati and Amir Ahmad”,
which is stored in the British Library, as well as a ceramic bowl decorated with Mahsati Ganjavi’s
rubai in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Results. In 2013, UNESCO decided to celebrate the 900th anniversary of Mahsati Ganjavi in
the world. Mahsati Ganjavi’s bold poetry has been translated into many languages, including Eng-
lish, and is studied by British orientalists. Professor Edward Brown wrote about Mahsati Ganja in
his book “A Literary History of Persia”. In turn, Meredith Owens in 1969 published an article on
the manuscript of the novel “Mahseti and Amir Ahmad”, which is in the British Library. Another
recent study by Marley Hammond provides information on Mahsati Ganjavi, as well as a ceramic
bowl decorated with the Mahsati Ganjavi rubai, which is housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum
in London. Mahsati Ganjavi’s biography and some of her rubai were translated in the book Bor-
rowed ware, written by orientalist Dick Davis. In 2013, the BBC aired a program about Mahsati
Ganjavi, presented by Nargez Farzad.
Conclusions. Thus, all these studies are very important for the recognition of Mahsati Ganjavi
in the world and consideration of her life and work. The translation of such bold poetry into English
plays an important role in the recognition and study of Azerbaijani classical literature not only in
Great Britain but also in the world.
Key words: Mahsati Ganjavi, Azerbaijani literature, rubai, language of poetry, free-thinking,
feminist ideas, intimate poetry.
Introduction. Mahsati Ganjavi is the most
prominent poetess of the 12th century Azerbaijani
literature. She was born in Ganja, the second largest
city of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Mahsati is famous
for her Rubaiyat. Rubaiyat is the plural form of rubai,
a poem consisting of four lines with the rhyme of aaaa,
aaba [3, p. 34]. According to the previous and latest
researches, more than 300 Rubaiyat are ascribed to
Mahsati Ganjavi [17, p. 157].
Mahsati Ganjavi wrote in Persian. In the 12th
century, a lot of works were written in Persian not only
in Azerbaijan, but also in the East, because that time
Persian was the language of poetry. Such facts occurred
throughout the history of literature of the world
countries. Although the poets wrote in other languages,
they benefited from the words, proverbs, expressions,
oral folk literature of that nation [6, p. 446].
The purpose of the article is to bring together all
the studies about Mahsati Ganjavi made by British
orientalists from the beginning of the 20th century to
the present time and to provide the essential details
mentioned in these researches.
The article uses the methods of manuscript
and data analysis and comparative methods.
The novelty of the article is to study all
the researches about Mahsati Ganjavi made in the UK
and give important information about the manuscript
of the novel “Mahsati and Amir Ahmad” preserved in
the British Library, as well as a bowl decorated with
Mahsati Ganjavi’s rubai in the Victoria and Albert
Museum in London.
Review of recent related publications. British
studies about Mahsati Ganjavi. In British
Orientalism, her name was first mentioned in
the book, written by Edward Brown, the professor
of Cambridge University. Edward Brown published
a book “A Literary History of Persia” in 4 volumes.
The book covers four periods of Persian literature.
There is an information about Mahsati Ganjavi in
the second volume of the book [3, p. 344].

Sjajno izdanje o pesniku iz XII veka koji je pisao poeziju na persijskom jeziku. Knjiga je urajena kao esej-portret pesnika sa bogatim ilustracijama.
Broj strana: 79