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'STONE DREAMS' BREAKS STEREOTYPES BETWEEN AZERIS, ARMENIANS
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Feb 17 2013
"Stone Dreams," the latest novella by one of Azerbaijan's most
prominent writers, Akram Aylisli, which depicts Azerbaijanis lending
a helping hand to Armenians, has caused an uproar in the country,
as the nations have been engaged in hostility since the early 1990s,
when Armenia seized Azerbaijani territories resulting in more than
1 million Azeris becoming refugees.
Completed in 2007, "Stone Dreams" was first published in the Russian
literature journal Friendship of the Peoples (Druzhba Narodov) in
December of last year and received harsh criticism from Azerbaijanis
for going against official statements from Baku.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have had no diplomatic relations since a
war erupted over Azerbaijan's Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh
region in the early 1990s, when Armenian-backed forces occupied it,
along with seven adjacent Azerbaijani territories, in a conflict that
killed 30,000 people from both sides. A truce was signed in 1994,
but there was no peace treaty.
Nagorno-Karabakh has adopted a declaration of independence, which is
not recognized by the international community, and has run its own
affairs with heavy Armenian military and financial backing since then.
Azerbaijan regularly vows to take it back by force, though it says
it favors diplomacy. Violence still flares sporadically along the
border between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Aylisli's novella portrays the drama of two nations at war over
Nagorno-Karabakh. In the story, he depicts Armenians being attacked by
Azerbaijanis who were kicked out of Armenia in the wake of the bitter
war and the local Azerbaijanis helping the Armenians in Baku. The
sympathetic depiction of Armenians drew massive protests from young
Azerbaijanis outside the house of the 75-year-old writer, calling
him a traitor to his nation and urging him to leave the country.
The reason why there was so much anger around the novella in Azerbaijan
is because people are afraid of acceptance and understanding, says Arzu
Geybullayeva, editor of the Neutral Zone, a platform for alternative
voices from Armenia and Azerbaijan on social and cultural issues with
a focus on the conflict. "It is easier to get angry, to dismiss, to
belittle, than face up the reality and show a sign of understanding, a
sign of forgiveness and apology," Geybullayeva said to Sunday's Zaman,
adding that the story by Aylisli is about the bonds between people
that are not easily broken and might pertain to any two countries
where there has been a long-term conflict.
After being harshly criticized at the opening session of the
Azerbaijani parliament on Feb. 1, Aylisli was stripped of national
honors for "insulting the dignity" of his country, and as such, his
title of "National Artist" was taken away and his pension was stopped.
His books were burned by intelligentsia and compatriots in his
hometown, while his wife and son were reportedly fired from their
workplaces.
In the meantime, Aylisli described the novel as a peaceful message,
adding he did not expect such a harsh response.
"Armenians are not foes for me. As a resolution of the conflict is
delayed, the hatred and antagonism between the two nations grows
dramatically. I have depicted an Azerbaijani helping a troubled
Armenian. How can I be a traitor?" Aylisli said in an interview with
Radio Free Europe, adding that both nations have lived together for
a long time and can continue to do so.
The campaign of intimidation against Aylisli is still going on, and
the leader of Azerbaijan's opposition Modern Equality Party (Muasir
Musavat) has offered 10,000 manats, nearly $13,000, to anyone who
will cut off Aylisli's ear. Reiterating that Aylisli had insulted the
entire Azerbaijani nation, party leader Hafiz Haciyev said, "As he has
insulted us, we wanted to respond, and that is why we have decided ...
that his ear must be chopped off."
New York-based Human Rights Watch condemned the threat against Aylisli
on Tuesday and urged the authorities to protect the Azerbaijani writer.
Praising Aylisli's "Stone Dreams" as a type of work that no Armenian
or Azerbaijani public figure has done so far, Philip Gamaghelyan,
co-director of the Imagine Center for Conflict Transformation, said to
Sunday's Zaman that the novella "elevated the conflict discourse from
a primitive 'I am right, you are wrong' dichotomy into 'I also have a
level of responsibility'. And, in my book, that deserves huge respect."
Gamaghelyan thinks Aylisli's novel is an antidote to the extradition
of Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov, a move that reignited the
tension between the two countries. "If Safarov's case fed into all
the negative stereotypes that are floating around about Azerbaijanis,
then Aylisli broke many of those stereotypes," Gamaghelyan said,
adding that the actions of those who are persecuting him provide
powerful ammunition for those who would like to continue stereotyping
Armenians and Azerbaijanis. Safarov killed an Armenian colleague with
an axe during a NATO-sponsored English language course in Budapest in
2004 and served eight years of a life sentence in Hungary. President
Ilham Aliyev pardoned Safarov after Hungary agreed to return him to
Azerbaijan, which drew angry protests from Armenia and expressions
of concern from Western powers and the international community.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-307281-stone-dreams-breaks-stereotypes-between-azeris-armenians.html
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Feb 17 2013
"Stone Dreams," the latest novella by one of Azerbaijan's most
prominent writers, Akram Aylisli, which depicts Azerbaijanis lending
a helping hand to Armenians, has caused an uproar in the country,
as the nations have been engaged in hostility since the early 1990s,
when Armenia seized Azerbaijani territories resulting in more than
1 million Azeris becoming refugees.
Completed in 2007, "Stone Dreams" was first published in the Russian
literature journal Friendship of the Peoples (Druzhba Narodov) in
December of last year and received harsh criticism from Azerbaijanis
for going against official statements from Baku.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have had no diplomatic relations since a
war erupted over Azerbaijan's Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh
region in the early 1990s, when Armenian-backed forces occupied it,
along with seven adjacent Azerbaijani territories, in a conflict that
killed 30,000 people from both sides. A truce was signed in 1994,
but there was no peace treaty.
Nagorno-Karabakh has adopted a declaration of independence, which is
not recognized by the international community, and has run its own
affairs with heavy Armenian military and financial backing since then.
Azerbaijan regularly vows to take it back by force, though it says
it favors diplomacy. Violence still flares sporadically along the
border between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Aylisli's novella portrays the drama of two nations at war over
Nagorno-Karabakh. In the story, he depicts Armenians being attacked by
Azerbaijanis who were kicked out of Armenia in the wake of the bitter
war and the local Azerbaijanis helping the Armenians in Baku. The
sympathetic depiction of Armenians drew massive protests from young
Azerbaijanis outside the house of the 75-year-old writer, calling
him a traitor to his nation and urging him to leave the country.
The reason why there was so much anger around the novella in Azerbaijan
is because people are afraid of acceptance and understanding, says Arzu
Geybullayeva, editor of the Neutral Zone, a platform for alternative
voices from Armenia and Azerbaijan on social and cultural issues with
a focus on the conflict. "It is easier to get angry, to dismiss, to
belittle, than face up the reality and show a sign of understanding, a
sign of forgiveness and apology," Geybullayeva said to Sunday's Zaman,
adding that the story by Aylisli is about the bonds between people
that are not easily broken and might pertain to any two countries
where there has been a long-term conflict.
After being harshly criticized at the opening session of the
Azerbaijani parliament on Feb. 1, Aylisli was stripped of national
honors for "insulting the dignity" of his country, and as such, his
title of "National Artist" was taken away and his pension was stopped.
His books were burned by intelligentsia and compatriots in his
hometown, while his wife and son were reportedly fired from their
workplaces.
In the meantime, Aylisli described the novel as a peaceful message,
adding he did not expect such a harsh response.
"Armenians are not foes for me. As a resolution of the conflict is
delayed, the hatred and antagonism between the two nations grows
dramatically. I have depicted an Azerbaijani helping a troubled
Armenian. How can I be a traitor?" Aylisli said in an interview with
Radio Free Europe, adding that both nations have lived together for
a long time and can continue to do so.
The campaign of intimidation against Aylisli is still going on, and
the leader of Azerbaijan's opposition Modern Equality Party (Muasir
Musavat) has offered 10,000 manats, nearly $13,000, to anyone who
will cut off Aylisli's ear. Reiterating that Aylisli had insulted the
entire Azerbaijani nation, party leader Hafiz Haciyev said, "As he has
insulted us, we wanted to respond, and that is why we have decided ...
that his ear must be chopped off."
New York-based Human Rights Watch condemned the threat against Aylisli
on Tuesday and urged the authorities to protect the Azerbaijani writer.
Praising Aylisli's "Stone Dreams" as a type of work that no Armenian
or Azerbaijani public figure has done so far, Philip Gamaghelyan,
co-director of the Imagine Center for Conflict Transformation, said to
Sunday's Zaman that the novella "elevated the conflict discourse from
a primitive 'I am right, you are wrong' dichotomy into 'I also have a
level of responsibility'. And, in my book, that deserves huge respect."
Gamaghelyan thinks Aylisli's novel is an antidote to the extradition
of Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov, a move that reignited the
tension between the two countries. "If Safarov's case fed into all
the negative stereotypes that are floating around about Azerbaijanis,
then Aylisli broke many of those stereotypes," Gamaghelyan said,
adding that the actions of those who are persecuting him provide
powerful ammunition for those who would like to continue stereotyping
Armenians and Azerbaijanis. Safarov killed an Armenian colleague with
an axe during a NATO-sponsored English language course in Budapest in
2004 and served eight years of a life sentence in Hungary. President
Ilham Aliyev pardoned Safarov after Hungary agreed to return him to
Azerbaijan, which drew angry protests from Armenia and expressions
of concern from Western powers and the international community.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-307281-stone-dreams-breaks-stereotypes-between-azeris-armenians.html