SOCIAL-REALISM in the AZERBAIJANI and TURKISH NOVELS of the EARLY 20TH CENTURY Eshgane Babayeva1

Periódico do Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas sobre Gênero e Direito Centro de Ciências Jurídicas - Universidade Federal da Paraíba V. 8 - Nº 07 - Ano 2019 – Special Edition ISSN | 2179-7137 | http://periodicos.ufpb.br/ojs2/index.php/ged/index 505 SOCIAL-REALISM IN THE AZERBAIJANI AND TURKISH NOVELS OF THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY Eshgane Babayeva1 Abstract: In the 1920s and 1940s, the 1930will be comparatively explored and socialist realism (trend) flow in both parallels will be emphasized. Turkish and Azerbaijani literature shows Keywords: Azerbaijani and Turkish itself in certain degree. Class struggle, novel, socialist-realism, rural novel, conflict between opposing forces, such comparison, conflict. as master-peasant, intellectual-ignorant- superstition, has become the main topic Introduction of the Turkish and Azerbaijani novels. In both literatures, the subject of village Socialist-realism is known as was at the forefront. It is no coincidence the second half of Marxist aesthetics. that “Homeland Literature” has gained Some measures agreed in 1934 that the special popularity in Turkish literature in Soviet Writers Union Congress has this period. The life, love, joy, sorrow, determined the content of this troubles and pains of ordinary peasants understanding. Socialist approach to have become the main topic of literature. engage wanting to serve the socialist The story of the urban man, not the revolution, sought to establish a literary peasant, his or her life, feelings and artist. Socialist-realism has also affected thoughts came to the center of the novel, the Turkish literature, various issues not the destiny of townsman. However, were discussed socialist literature from for a long time, the place in the Turkish the 1930s. These discussions have novels was chosen only as Istanbul, and focused more on the social role of art and the fate of the people of Istanbul was artists issues. Turkish writer and critic of mentioned. In the article, the Turkish and the Marxist theoretical information Azerbaijani novels from 1920 to about the inadequate aesthetic issues are 1 PhD in Philology, Associate professor. Institute of Literature named after Nizami Ganjavi of ANAS/ Azerbaijan,Baku. Email : [email protected]. ORCİD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002- 4934-4168 Periódico do Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas sobre Gênero e Direito Centro de Ciências Jurídicas - Universidade Federal da Paraíba V. 8 - Nº 07 - Ano 2019 – Special Edition ISSN | 2179-7137 | http://periodicos.ufpb.br/ojs2/index.php/ged/index 506 discussed in more axis of concept of of village into the leitmotif of novel was populism. Turkish authors have demand of the period, result of a new interpreted this as socialism facing the social-political, economic and literary public literature. process. Turkey joined the new literary One of the issues that attracted process. One of the main directions was attention in both Turkish and Azerbaijani national character. While following of novels in the early twentieth century was the process of that period, it is evident about rural life. It should be noted that that direction towards the village in the interest in rural life, love and longing for plan of thought had begun in the years of the village began to show itself in poetry. Mashrutiyyat (1908-1923), and the Orkhan Okai, the prominent Turkologist ideology “toward the people” of Ziya associated the beginning that he called Gokalp (1876-1924) was of particular “return to the village, to Anatolia” with importance in this regard. Ziya Gokalp the development of pastoral poetry in the believed that intelligentsia, distinguished literature (Okai O., 1990; 110-115). people had two goals of directing the to According to researcher Kenan Akyuz, the people: rapid development of the industry, 1) To go toward the people for technology like in the Western world, getting national-spiritual values (to make has brought some problems with itself. alive) from the people. Thus, the concept of shelter to the 2) To go toward the people to villages and the nature from the big cities take culture to them. For realizing of emerged in the intellectuals of the these two nuances, in the opinion of Ziya Tanzimat era, which at the same time Gokalp, Turkic young people should was an expression of the transition to the teach in rural schools to carry the change of place in literature (Akyüz K., “Western culture, not the Eastern culture 1979: 18). R. Kaplan linked this issue or its branch, Ottoman culture” to the mainly with the entry of literature into village (Gokalp Z., 1970: 47). social service (Kaplan R., 1997: 7). By Although this process slowed agreeing with this idea of the down, it gained momentum and became Turkologist, I would like to note that one of the strategic goals of the new state interest in rural life, turning of the theme in the period of Republic. Ataturk stated Periódico do Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas sobre Gênero e Direito Centro de Ciências Jurídicas - Universidade Federal da Paraíba V. 8 - Nº 07 - Ano 2019 – Special Edition ISSN | 2179-7137 | http://periodicos.ufpb.br/ojs2/index.php/ged/index 507 on March 1, 1922 that he was talking itself until the end of the 1960s (Yalcin about the peasants in the third opening A., 2012: 26). year of the parliament and expressed the value given to them: “Who is Turkey's Research Aim owner and master? The true owner of The main purpose of this article Turkey is its peasant. In this case, is to investigate the effect of social peasant deserves to live in prosperity, realism on Turkish and Azerbaijani happiness and wealth more than anyone literature. In this article, the subject of else does” (Atatürk's Speeches And village was investigated in Turkish and Statements I, 1945: 209). Azerbaijani novels of 1920s. Azerbaijani Therefore, on March 18, 1924, and Turkish novels were compared and the Rural Law came into effect and a new similar and different aspects were governance system was formed in the mentioned. The article is relevant in village. On the one hand, the village terms of investigating the Azerbaijani- institutes (1940-1954) opened. Turkish village novels comparatively. Graduates of these institutes have started to express the problems and troubles of Research Methods the village. This new literature has been In this article, is investigated called “Anatolian literature”. It should be social realism in Azerbaijan and Turkish noted that in general, “Anatolia” in novels (1920-40 years). Turkish literature has a very new and The work uses system, different meaning. Anatolia - in fact an structural and comparative methods of ideal,not a handful of land. Prof. research, the method of hermeneutic Alamdar Yalchin notes that it has very analysis of the literary text. important social, literary-cultural and political reasonsgiving this new Discussion literature the title of “Anatolia”. This The first stories and narratives novel concept will be called the “Rural about the rural life are Ahmed Midhat novel” for various social reasons in the Efendi's “A Real Story” (1876), 1940s. Such concept of novel survived “Felicity” (1885), Nazim Nebizade's “Garabibik” (1890), Abubakr Nazim Periódico do Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas sobre Gênero e Direito Centro de Ciências Jurídicas - Universidade Federal da Paraíba V. 8 - Nº 07 - Ano 2019 – Special Edition ISSN | 2179-7137 | http://periodicos.ufpb.br/ojs2/index.php/ged/index 508 Tepeyran's “Little Pasha” (1910), Rafiq novel, then it should be noted that the Khalid Garay’s “Hometown Stories” revolutionary-historical theme was of (1919). particular importance in the literature of Starting from the 1920s, the the 1920-50s. The writers have tried to subject of the village turned into a new justify the source of the way leading to stage in the creativity of writers such as the socialist revolution with the subjects Y. G. Garaosmanoghlu, B. Cahit, S. taken from distant and near Ertem, R. Enis, R. N. Guntekin and revolutionary-historical past; they have others. We can mention the novels of sought to meet the demands of the “When the spinning wheels stopped” socialist realism's creative method that (Sadri Ertem), “Pitchfork” (Yagub considers the historical philosophy of Gadry Garaosmanoghlu), “Yusuf of materialism as the main methodological Kuyucak” (Sabahattin Ali), “Novel of principle. In the sense of the concept, it the decade” (Izzet Benice), “Their was prepared on the basis of Russian novel” (Aka Gunduz), “Green Night”, literature, direct experience of M. Gorky, “The wren” (Reshad Nuri Guntekin),, Furmanov, Serafimovich, A. Tolstoy, “Rural Doctor” (Burhan Cahit Morgaia), Qlaldkov, Fadeyev and others “Beat the immortal” (Khalida Adib (Enveroglu, 2008: 139-140). Other Adivar), “The child of the Mountain” (O. sources also find that the ideological, R. Gokche) and others in this period. political and literary life of the 1920s and As we have seen, in the same 1930s is based on the traditions of years, theme of the village has a special Russian literature (Asadullayev, 1970: place in the Azerbaijani novels. The 65). Commenting on these issues, novels of the 1930s included issues such Himalay Enveroghlu also emphasized as the struggle for collectivization in the that the Azerbaijani novel in the 1920- Azerbaijani village, the process of 30s was put into this political-ideological Sovietization and the process of flow, and it was very difficult to escape collectivism. Himalay Enveroglu writes from this flow (Enveroglu, 2008: 140). about this: Therefore, the novels such as “Shamo” “If the conversation is about in (first volume-1930), “Downs” (1930), literature of this epoch, but rather the “The World Breaks Out” (1933), Periódico do Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas sobre Gênero e Direito Centro de Ciências Jurídicas - Universidade Federal da Paraíba V. 8 - Nº 07 - Ano 2019 – Special Edition ISSN | 2179-7137 | http://periodicos.ufpb.br/ojs2/index.php/ged/index 509 “Warrior City” (1933), “Flood” (1933- Republic's literature on new trends 1935), “Hero” (1937), “Tarlan”(1936- emerged.

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