August 16 marks another anniversary of the birth of Shikhali Gurbanov, a renowned Azerbaijani playwright, poet, literary scholar, and socio-political figure.
Sea-news.az reports that born in Baku in 1925, Shikhali Gurbanov traversed an honorable combat path from Leningrad to Germany during World War II, and after the war, left an indelible mark in the people’s memory through his scientific, literary, and public activities.
For his bravery in the war, he was awarded the “For Courage,” “For the Capture of Königsberg,” and “For the Victory over Germany” medals. After the war, in 1956, he defended his candidate dissertation on the topic “Pushkin and Azerbaijani Poetry.”
He is the author of the plays The Boss is Busy (Rəis məşğuldur), What a Situation We Got Into (Əcəb işə düşdük), We Know Best (Özümüz bilərik), and Without You (Sənsiz), the libretto for Bahadur and Sona (Bahadır və Sona), as well as the comedy The Millionaire’s Beggar Son (Milyonçunun dilənçi oğlu), which was staged with great sell-out success in theaters.
Despite the harsh prohibitions of the Soviet regime, Shikhali Gurbanov achieved the official state-level celebration of Novruz in Azerbaijan for the first time in 1967.
In 1967, he was awarded the Uzeyir Hajibeyov Azerbaijan SSR State Prize and was also decorated with the Order of Lenin.
Having repeatedly faced pressure due to his national convictions and activities, Sh. Gurbanov is remembered for the warning-filled lines he spoke to the actors on May 23, 1967, as he left the public viewing of his play Without You: “I am leaving, if I do not return, watch Without You without me.”
On that same day, following an injection at the dentist’s, the 42-year-old Shikhali Gurbanov suddenly passed away.
The prominent figure was buried in the Alley of Honor, and one of the central streets in Baku was named after him.
