Tweet
MATTER OF COPYRIGHT: ARMENIAN PUBLISHERS OF NOVEL BY AZERI WRITER READY TO PAY COMPENSATION UPON REQUEST
http://www.armenianow.com/society/45449/armenia_azerbaijan_akram_aylisli_stone_dreams_nove l_agulis
SOCIETY | 18.04.13 | 16:03
Photolure
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN ArmeniaNow reporter
The Nork publishing house-released Armenian translation of Azeri writer
Akram Aylisli's novel, titled Stone Dreams, has raised another wave
of discontent in Azerbaijan. The author himself says the Armenians
have translated his novel without a copyright permission.
The book publisher Ruben Hovsepyan confirms that the book was
translated without Aylisli's knowledge, but says they tried to get
in touch with him, sent him an email to preserve all the copyright
requirements, however Aylisli did not respond.
"We understand that it is copyrighted, but if in the future he makes
financial claims, decides to sue us, we will compensate. There is no
author in the world that would not like his work to be translated,"
says Hovsepyan.
Aylisli's Stone Dreams was first published in Russian in 2012 in the
Druzhba Narodov (Friendship of Nations) periodical, which sparked a
government-orchestrated outcry in Azerbaijan. Aylisli's depiction
of Armenian massacres in Baku and the negative portrayal of the
killings committed by Azeri refugees from Armenia particularly sparked
criticism against the author. This also led to persecution of the
75-year-old writer in Azerbaijan. With a special order, President
Ilham Aliyev stripped the writer of his People's Writer title and
individual pension.
Stone Dreams tells about Aylisli's birthplace, historic Agulis.
Translator of the book Leonid Zilfugharyan says the author's narrative
is very honest, inspired by the tiled streets and paved roads, gardens,
twelve half-ruined or completely destroyed Armenian churches of Agulis.
"My God, what a place! Did that terrace-like world on a mountain
slope ascending from a steep riverside really exist in Aylis?... Did
Aylis stretch that far, or who put together all the stone steps and
terraces of the world in the narrow gorge of Aylis. What place that
is, my Lord," wrote Aylisli.
For the first time in Azeri reality an Azeri writer dares to speak
sincerely and present an Armenian not as an enemy. In the atmosphere
of anti-Armenian hysteria he presents as an eye-witness the Azeri's
brutalities during the Sumgait and Baku pogroms of Armenians in
1988-1990s. In his novel he also comments on the fact that Heydar
Aliyev instigated the pogroms of Armenians in order to come to power.
The writer has requested the United States, British and other
countries' embassies in Azerbaijan, as well as representatives of the
European Union, OSCE and European Council to familiarize themselves
with the novel and express their attitude.
The climax of Azeri hysteria was the Modern Musavat party leader's
statement - he promised 10,000 manats (about $12,750) to the one who
would cut off Akram Aylisli's ear. The writer's wife and son have
lost their jobs. The ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party MP Mubariz Gurbanli,
in an interview to the Trend news agency, defined the Stone Dreams as
"black PR" against Azerbaijan.
"Akram Aylisli's ill-famed Stone Dreams novel has been released in
Armenian. Of course, the enemy is aloof, applying all measures of black
PR, ideological sabotage and campaign against Azerbaijan," he said.
"Armenians, first having translated it into Armenian, then into other
languages, will tell the world "look, this has been written by an
Azeri, by an Azeri writer", when the Azeri society does not even
recognize him as a writer."
Law-makers of Milli Mejlis believe that the "book is a moral blow
against the Azeri people". MP Nizami Zafarov suggested that Aylisli
be deprived of his citizenship, saying "let him go to Yerevan and
serve at a church".
Meanwhile, expert in international law and Azeri affairs Sargis
Asatryan believes the Stone Dreams is a splendid example to show why
we should refrain from resuming the war.
"It is a one-in-a-kind psychological analysis of the bloody events
of the 80-s, due to which numerous supporters have united around the
writer, despite the persecution. It means that there is a stratum,
which is indeed against the resumption of active hostilities," he says.
Constitutional Court adviser Gevorg Danielyan, who is also board
chairman of the Armenian Constitutional Law Center, counters that
all this has been done to lead Armenians into an illusion that there
are people in Azerbaijan who can speak freely and not be brutally
persecuted. He says the writer was guided by one scenario, which is
the ideology of today's Azerbaijan.
"The novel depicts the atrocities committed by the Azeri against
Armenians in Agulis settlement of Nakhijevan in 1919, and parallels
are drawn with 1988-1990s' Sumgait and Baku pogroms," he says. "In
the novel, Baku pogroms were organized by those who had been subjected
to violence there, were unable to revenge and tried to do so against
the native Armenian population, which is an obvious lie."
He is also suspicious whether the writer is really persecuted. "We
are well aware that if an Azeri perceives someone as a traitor in
his country, he takes an axe and does not limit his actions to verbal
criticism only. We should be a little bit more careful."
Writer-publicist Pertch Zeytuntsyan writes about the Stone Dreams:
"For twenty years I have been wondering if there would be one
person among seven million to voice the truth. I am rejoiced that
such a person has come along. The novel was written long time ago,
but Aylisli published it after the Safarov affair. He did it by his
own will, which took courage. Some courage, I'd say, imagine being
one among the seven-million delusional nation...Pamuk, Aylisli,
do they love Armenians? They love their people, their homeland,
they want to somehow clean up the mess. That is their driving motive."
Prose writer, publisher Hovsepyan believes that the book is like
flickering light in the darkness, coming to say that not everything
is lost yet, and for that message Azerbaijan should thank him.
In his book Aylisli writes about a little girl Lusik who was visiting
her grandmother in Agulis and kept drawing pictures. That little girl
is the same painter Lusik Aguletsi who, during a recent interview,
told about her meeting with Akram Aylisli.
One thousand copies of the novel's Armenian version are available to
Armenian readers starting this week.
http://www.armenianow.com/society/45449/armenia_azerbaijan_akram_aylisli_stone_dreams_nove l_agulis
SOCIETY | 18.04.13 | 16:03
Photolure
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN ArmeniaNow reporter
The Nork publishing house-released Armenian translation of Azeri writer
Akram Aylisli's novel, titled Stone Dreams, has raised another wave
of discontent in Azerbaijan. The author himself says the Armenians
have translated his novel without a copyright permission.
The book publisher Ruben Hovsepyan confirms that the book was
translated without Aylisli's knowledge, but says they tried to get
in touch with him, sent him an email to preserve all the copyright
requirements, however Aylisli did not respond.
"We understand that it is copyrighted, but if in the future he makes
financial claims, decides to sue us, we will compensate. There is no
author in the world that would not like his work to be translated,"
says Hovsepyan.
Aylisli's Stone Dreams was first published in Russian in 2012 in the
Druzhba Narodov (Friendship of Nations) periodical, which sparked a
government-orchestrated outcry in Azerbaijan. Aylisli's depiction
of Armenian massacres in Baku and the negative portrayal of the
killings committed by Azeri refugees from Armenia particularly sparked
criticism against the author. This also led to persecution of the
75-year-old writer in Azerbaijan. With a special order, President
Ilham Aliyev stripped the writer of his People's Writer title and
individual pension.
Stone Dreams tells about Aylisli's birthplace, historic Agulis.
Translator of the book Leonid Zilfugharyan says the author's narrative
is very honest, inspired by the tiled streets and paved roads, gardens,
twelve half-ruined or completely destroyed Armenian churches of Agulis.
"My God, what a place! Did that terrace-like world on a mountain
slope ascending from a steep riverside really exist in Aylis?... Did
Aylis stretch that far, or who put together all the stone steps and
terraces of the world in the narrow gorge of Aylis. What place that
is, my Lord," wrote Aylisli.
For the first time in Azeri reality an Azeri writer dares to speak
sincerely and present an Armenian not as an enemy. In the atmosphere
of anti-Armenian hysteria he presents as an eye-witness the Azeri's
brutalities during the Sumgait and Baku pogroms of Armenians in
1988-1990s. In his novel he also comments on the fact that Heydar
Aliyev instigated the pogroms of Armenians in order to come to power.
The writer has requested the United States, British and other
countries' embassies in Azerbaijan, as well as representatives of the
European Union, OSCE and European Council to familiarize themselves
with the novel and express their attitude.
The climax of Azeri hysteria was the Modern Musavat party leader's
statement - he promised 10,000 manats (about $12,750) to the one who
would cut off Akram Aylisli's ear. The writer's wife and son have
lost their jobs. The ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party MP Mubariz Gurbanli,
in an interview to the Trend news agency, defined the Stone Dreams as
"black PR" against Azerbaijan.
"Akram Aylisli's ill-famed Stone Dreams novel has been released in
Armenian. Of course, the enemy is aloof, applying all measures of black
PR, ideological sabotage and campaign against Azerbaijan," he said.
"Armenians, first having translated it into Armenian, then into other
languages, will tell the world "look, this has been written by an
Azeri, by an Azeri writer", when the Azeri society does not even
recognize him as a writer."
Law-makers of Milli Mejlis believe that the "book is a moral blow
against the Azeri people". MP Nizami Zafarov suggested that Aylisli
be deprived of his citizenship, saying "let him go to Yerevan and
serve at a church".
Meanwhile, expert in international law and Azeri affairs Sargis
Asatryan believes the Stone Dreams is a splendid example to show why
we should refrain from resuming the war.
"It is a one-in-a-kind psychological analysis of the bloody events
of the 80-s, due to which numerous supporters have united around the
writer, despite the persecution. It means that there is a stratum,
which is indeed against the resumption of active hostilities," he says.
Constitutional Court adviser Gevorg Danielyan, who is also board
chairman of the Armenian Constitutional Law Center, counters that
all this has been done to lead Armenians into an illusion that there
are people in Azerbaijan who can speak freely and not be brutally
persecuted. He says the writer was guided by one scenario, which is
the ideology of today's Azerbaijan.
"The novel depicts the atrocities committed by the Azeri against
Armenians in Agulis settlement of Nakhijevan in 1919, and parallels
are drawn with 1988-1990s' Sumgait and Baku pogroms," he says. "In
the novel, Baku pogroms were organized by those who had been subjected
to violence there, were unable to revenge and tried to do so against
the native Armenian population, which is an obvious lie."
He is also suspicious whether the writer is really persecuted. "We
are well aware that if an Azeri perceives someone as a traitor in
his country, he takes an axe and does not limit his actions to verbal
criticism only. We should be a little bit more careful."
Writer-publicist Pertch Zeytuntsyan writes about the Stone Dreams:
"For twenty years I have been wondering if there would be one
person among seven million to voice the truth. I am rejoiced that
such a person has come along. The novel was written long time ago,
but Aylisli published it after the Safarov affair. He did it by his
own will, which took courage. Some courage, I'd say, imagine being
one among the seven-million delusional nation...Pamuk, Aylisli,
do they love Armenians? They love their people, their homeland,
they want to somehow clean up the mess. That is their driving motive."
Prose writer, publisher Hovsepyan believes that the book is like
flickering light in the darkness, coming to say that not everything
is lost yet, and for that message Azerbaijan should thank him.
In his book Aylisli writes about a little girl Lusik who was visiting
her grandmother in Agulis and kept drawing pictures. That little girl
is the same painter Lusik Aguletsi who, during a recent interview,
told about her meeting with Akram Aylisli.
One thousand copies of the novel's Armenian version are available to
Armenian readers starting this week.