Ordubadi’s and Ahmad Mahmoud’s Writing Styles Are Similar

According to a reporter from the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA), the novel “Underground Baku: In the Valley of Love and Struggle” by Mohammad Saeed Ordubadi, a prominent Azerbaijani realist writer, has recently been published through Negah Publications, translated by Vadood Mardi. This novel presents a deep and vivid picture of the lives of Baku workers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is the second volume of Mohammad Saeed Ordubadi’s historical trilogy, which meticulously narrates the class struggles and hardships of the working people of Baku from 1898 to 1920. The first volume of this series is titled “Warrior City,” and the third, “The World Changes,” remains unfinished. With a realistic and humanistic view, Ordubadi depicts the muddy streets of Baku, where flowing sulfurous waters, dimly lit lamps in cellars, and extinguished coals all display aspects of the poverty and exploitation of workers.

On the occasion of this work’s publication, we had an interview with Vadood Mardi, its translator, which you can read below:

For translating this work, were you compelled to study the historical period of Azerbaijan during that time?

I have a special interest in the history of our homeland, especially contemporary history. I’ve read history since my youth and have a particular affection for the history of Azerbaijan, my birthplace. This interest is evident in my works, which have historical backgrounds. In fact, although a historical novel is not history itself, it is history in a way. I like this literary genre to serve the history of my homeland. However, generally, a translator of a literary work, while needing to be skilled in their craft, also needs to conduct research. Without exaggeration, the translator is the second author of the work and must possess knowledge equivalent to the first author. Therefore, a translator must have sufficient mastery of the historical period in which the story unfolds, otherwise, they will deliver an incomplete work to the reader and society. It is clear that a historical novel consists of two main aspects: story and history. Thus, while the author must be a master writer, they also need to be a good historian. The translator’s responsibility from this perspective is no less than the author’s.

What was your motivation for translating this work?

Humanity has traversed and continues to traverse a long path towards freedom and social justice. Every path and every opening that aids this journey is worthy of appreciation. The novel “Underground Baku” emerged from the pen of an author with valuable and rich experience in this regard. Undoubtedly, in writing his novels, which are mostly in the historical genre, he had access to primary documents and sources. Ordubadi is a well-known author in our country, especially with his most prominent work, “Misty Tabriz,” translated by Rahim Raeisnia. Ordubadi’s novels can significantly contribute to a better understanding of history and familiarity with the path taken by the people of Azerbaijan. Such works can also serve our society and the eventful history of our homeland.

Please describe Ordubadi’s position in Azerbaijani literature.

Ordubadi holds a unique position in the history of Azerbaijani literature, especially in contemporary Azerbaijani realist literature. He began writing with articles in reputable publications and newspapers across the Aras River, such as Sharq-e Rus, Ershad, Molla Nasreddin, Tazeh Hayat, and Ettefaq. Ordubadi was a powerful and prolific writer; his written works attest that he wrote for nearly 60 years. Some researchers say he wrote over 6,000 major and minor works. Raeisnia has written a very comprehensive introduction about his literary creations and life. Many Azerbaijani literature researchers believe that the author attempted to portray the entire history of Azerbaijan in the form of historical novels. Life did not grant Ordubadi such an opportunity, and he was able to write about several tumultuous periods of his land’s history, of which the novel “Underground Baku” is a small part. Ordubadi stands at the pinnacle of contemporary Azerbaijani literature, and it is fitting that his untranslated works be translated into Persian.

To what extent can studying historical novels from other countries be appealing to Iranians, and what factors can influence the attractiveness of these works?

Undoubtedly, the history of Azerbaijan is not separate from the history of our homeland, Iran, and our country’s history is closely intertwined with neighboring countries and ultimately with other lands. Humanity, throughout its existence on Earth, can be said to have followed an almost common path, the path of seeking improvement and leading to freedom and social justice. A historical novel opens up to the reader the path that other peoples of the world have traversed, familiarizing them with the experiences, successes, and shortcomings they have encountered in life. Historical novels can be very appealing for understanding history; in fact, a story, as every individual’s life is a story itself, can greatly aid this understanding. However, the role of the translator in this regard is unparalleled. Translation should be a re-creation of the work to have a good impact on the reader, not a literal translation that makes them averse to novels and reading.

The name “Revolutionary Literature” magazine piqued my curiosity. I wanted to ask, what commonalities does Azerbaijani literature (poetry and stories) share with Iran’s revolutionary literature?

Azerbaijani and Iranian literature share deep commonalities, and with poets like Qatran Tabrizi, Nizami Ganjavi, Khaqani Shirvani, and many other Azerbaijani poets who have composed poetry in Persian, these historical commonalities can be discerned. Love, mysticism, ethics, praise, and elegy are central themes in both literatures, and this influence is even evident in contemporary Azerbaijani operas, such to the extent that one can encounter poems in Persian in various acts of the operas. This is very evident when reading the history of Iran’s Constitutional Revolution. The verses of Mirza Ali Akbar Sabir in defense of Iran’s Constitutional Revolution are well-known to everyone, as Allameh Ali Akbar Dehkhoda had given him the title “Artillery of the Constitutional Revolution.”

Do you know of any Iranian novel that, in terms of style and atmosphere, brings this novel to life in your mind?

The atmosphere of Ordubadi’s novel writing is largely similar to Ahmad Mahmoud’s; every Iranian writer is unique in their field and has made a great contribution to our country’s culture and literature, and their position is preserved; however, the late Ahmad Mahmoud is singular in this area.

As a translator of historical novels, do you agree with the statement made by Genia’s interlocutor, the secret police officer, in the novel “Underground Baku,” who says, “Novels sometimes distort historical facts; fantasy in creation also replaces definite views with imaginary ones, truly weakening human’s power of choice”?

Historical literature has its own logic; a historical novel artistically re-creates history, and it is a creative artistic endeavor that draws upon historical realities. A historical novel provides a brilliant portrayal of the work, activities, and lives of people, and it is itself a historical narrative that has been. In reality, the secret police officer is the eloquent voice of his own class position. A historical novel grants humanity a clearer and better worldview so that it does not lose its way in social turmoil and dark eras; in fact, it can act as a social guide.

What was the political relationship between Iran and Azerbaijan during that historical period?

Undoubtedly, the First Russian Revolution in 1905 had a tremendous and profound impact on Iran’s Constitutional Revolution. During that era, apart from the official political and economic relations between Iran and its northern neighbor (Azerbaijan was then under Russian rule), the peoples on both sides of the Aras River had close ties. Some workers and intellectuals traveled to the northern neighbor and were undoubtedly influenced by the movements underway in the Tsarist land. Some Iranians were active in the First Russian Revolution, and in Iran’s Constitutional Revolution, many revolutionary activists from Russia and Azerbaijan actively participated, providing valuable assistance to the revolutionaries on this side, and some even lost their lives in this cause. In Iran’s Constitutional Revolution, Caucasian Mujahideen played a prominent role within their capabilities, which the late Kasravi also mentioned in his history of the Constitutional Revolution.

How do you describe Genia’s character?

Women constitute half of the human society and have worked and struggled alongside men in society. In the history of our homeland, we have many such figures. Genia is a product of the awakening era who has tasted oppression, social inequality, and humiliation, and consciously embarked on this path. Genia is a qualitative example of such an Azerbaijani woman.

Why had Genia joined the ranks of the servants?

Azerbaijani society at that time, thanks to abundant oil money, had prominent wealthy individuals and capitalists. To combat this exploitative class, revolutionaries needed to get firsthand news from inside their homes, which naturally had access to the top echelons of power. As is clear throughout the story, and as Genia herself states in some lines of the novel, she had infiltrated them under direct orders from the Baku Party Committee for reconnaissance and intelligence, of which some of her comrades were unaware, and she delivered the news directly to the party committee leadership. This infiltration had a simple and easy way: dressing as a servant.

Genia, as a revolutionary woman, cannot abandon emotional matters and considers the reform of society, the reform of ethics, and proper attention to love and emotion as priorities. What is the reason for this way of thinking? Is it because she is a woman and thought her fiancé had betrayed her?

Although love has its own complex mechanisms, as Hegel said, nothing great comes into being without love. Loving and engaging with love have always been human concerns, and love and ethics have been and remain important issues for people. Undoubtedly and without exaggeration, women are more sensitive and pioneering than men in this regard.