Contemporary talented Azerbaijani poet, - performer, and writer, Leyli is a member of the Union of Writers of Azerbaijan and the Poetry Society of Great Britain. Her joint works and poems were exhibited at the Poetry Society of Great Britain, the «Триумф» gallery in Moscow, the «YAY!» gallery at the Tbilisi Art Fair, the ARTIM Gallery, at the Maiden Tower: To be a Woman, at the Nasimi Poetry, Art and Spirituality Festival, and others. She is the author of poetry collections Twelve Thirteen, (2014), «Youtopia» (2016), «Anabiosis» (2018), «The Back» (2020), and one children’s book. “57 portraits” is her latest project, and it is a gallery of portraits of contemporaries that are created in poetic form.

 

We’ve met to talk about her definition of heritage and much more.

 

 

 

What is your definition of heritage?

 

I would compare it with DNA, which is the genetic material that we have in every cell in our body. We may be distant from listening to mugham or the preparation of Dushbara, speaking a non-native language, and growing up in a foreign culture. But I believe, after thirty, we start our journey toward our essence. This journey leads to recognition and a reverent attitude towards what is embedded in DNA, and this is influenced by our legacy.

(by the way, the Caucasian dumplings have acquired a distinctive feature (to have 40 dushbara in one spoon!), thanks to the diligence and painstaking of Azerbaijani women)

 

It is crucial for everyone who creates a cultural product to be aware of their responsibility to the next generation. Our conscious creation now is the unconscious material of the future generation. We have the power to make it either a prop or a destructive energy.

 

During the quarantine period, the world faced terrifying uncertainty, and I found solace in Nizami Ganjavi’s work, “The Seven Beauties.” I bought tar and began to learn how to play it a few months later. The legacy of my ancestors is a whole universe that lives in my DNA.

 

Why Mayakovsky?

 

I admire Mayakovsky and share his ability to love.

He gifted Lilichka, the muse of his life, with luxurious perfumes and stockings from Paris, dedicated his entire poetry to her, and even brought her a Renault car. But during the hungry revolutionary days, when he had neither money nor fame, it was the two carrots he could get that showed the extent of his ability to love. It's a gesture to gift a car when you have money, of course. But getting carrots when you don’t - that is a GESTURE!

 

A small orange volume of Mayakovsky's collection of works bought from the well-known bookstore 'Moscow' on Tverskaya was where it all began. For three years, the book has been left unpackaged. While I was completing a cycle of poems for my first Russian-language collection, Anabiosis («Анабиоз»), I decided to pick up this book and begin reading his poems. It was an acquaintance with a kindred spirit in the world of poetry. He could have written some of my lines, and I could have written some of his.

 

Can you name poets/prose writers who have had an impact on you?

 

At the beginning of my creative journey, I was influenced by all the classics we studied at school, which caused the melodies of my poems to inevitably sound like the old masters.

 

You’ll be surprised to know that Zemfira's music happened to be an unexpectedly pivotal moment in my life. My poetry style underwent a major transformation thanks to her lyrics. Moreover, her metaphors had a significant impact on the formation of images and similes in my stanzas.. As if you could go beyond the logical and allow yourself to sound wrong.

 

Further, in English-language poems, I was influenced by the work of the American poet Elizabeth Bishop.

 

Why is it important to write/read poetry?

 

To convey emotions or express thoughts, you can write a long text that has many unnecessary words. Your brain will become even more restless with these extra words. In poetry, everything works differently. It sets your thoughts and feelings in order. Unnecessary words fall away, and the right ones find their place. This is the magic of poetry.

 

Poetry is a way to discuss something important without having to talk about it.

 

To understand the importance of reading poetry. I would like to recall a scene from 'Titanic'. In the midst of madness, when humanity begins to fall into pieces before the eyes of the audience, the orchestra, instead of saving itself, begins to play music.

 

Poetry has always been like that. Even in the darkest of times, it reminds us of the strength and beauty of the human soul and helps us overcome any difficulties in this big, crazy world.

 

Name one poem (not written by you) that would you want to take credit for.

 

Anais Nin was the first to come to mind

 

Risk

 

And then the day came,

when the risk

to remain tight

in a bud

was more painful

than the risk

it took

to blossom.

 

There are many lines from Elizabeth Bishop's poems that I would like to own in a parallel reality.

 

“Close, close all night

the lovers keep.

They turn together

in their sleep,

 

Close as two pages

in a book

that read each other

in the dark.

 

Each knows all

the other knows,

learned by heart

from head to toes.”

 

It is marvellous to wake up together
At the same minute; marvellous to hear
The rain begin suddenly all over the roof,
To feel the air suddenly clear
As if electricity had passed through it
From a black mesh of wires in the sky.
All over the roof the rain hisses,
And below, the light falling of kisses.

.....

 

And from the same simplified point of view
Of night and lying flat on one's back
All things might change equally easily,
Since always to warn us there must be these black
Electrical wires dangling. Without surprise
The world might change to something quite different,
As the air changes or the lightning comes without our blinking,
Change as our kisses are changing without our thinking

 

Even in a parallel reality, I cannot let myself aim at the lines of the great Nasimi.

 

“Both worlds can fit within me, but in this world I cannot fit.

I am the place less essence, but into existence, I cannot fit.”

 

Your top 10 Books

 

1.  Oscar Wilde - Portrait of Dorian Gray

2.  Elif Shafak - 40 rules of love

3.  Irving Stone - Lust for Life

4.  Vincent Van Gogh - Letters to Friends

5.  Daniil Kharms - About phenomena and existences

6.  Peter Wohlleben - The Hidden Life of Trees

7.  Orhan Pamuk - Snow

8.  Nizami Ganjavi – The Seven Beauties

9.  Somerset Maugham - Razor's Edge

10.  Complete Works by V.V. Mayakovsky and Arthur Сonan Doyle

 

These books played an important role at certain stages of my life, and I mentally refer to them from time to time.

 

Current top 5 tracks or albums

 

1.Jamiroquai – “Traveling without moving” album

2.Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - "The Nutcracker" ballet 

3.James Blake – “The color in anything” album

4.Moby – “Play” album

5.Vasif Adigezalov - Qerenfil composition

 

Your favorite word/expression in Azerbaijani?

 

In Azerbaijan, there is still a service available to find out the exact time. You dial 106 and at the other end of the line, a lady’s gentle voice greets you and tells you the time. Hər vaxtınız xeyir olsun – “Let all your time be good” (word-by-word translation). Isn't it beautiful? Especially if the day is not going well, you are sad, dial this number and you are reminded that any time brings good.

 

I would also like to highlight the phrase “Niyyətin hara, mənzilin ora” - Where your aspirations are directed there will be your destination- this phrase very much determines today's way of life. Your intentions will lead to where they are directed.

 

The main difference between Baku and other cities

 

Baku is like a large and luxurious mansion. You walk along its streets as if you are moving from room to room. In every space, you meet someone you know. This is the city where you will not be left without a hug.

 

I think it's the coziness and warm attitude that make this city special, making people always happy to come back here.

 

I must point out that Baku is also a holy place, and the Maiden Tower is the primary evidence.

 

Remember, those lines from my poem:

 

“Standing by the window, I see the lives behind it

I exhale the name of the city slowly:

«Bad cube, Bagkuh, Baa Kuu...»

While the saffron scent of hot pilaf

Doesn’t take me back to the evening meal

With thoughts of the city of God, wind and fire.”

 

Original version:

 

«Я стою у окна, а за ним зажигаются жизни,

Я выдыхаю название города не спеша:

«Бад кубе, Багкух, Баа Куу…»

Пока шафрановый аромат разгорячившегося плова

Не возвращает меня к вечерней трапезе

С мыслями о городе Бога, ветра и огня.»

 

Your message for those who want to become poets.

 

Don't be frightened by the white sheet. Observe, take notes, write, and describe yourself, your emotions, and the world around you. Don't wait for the best line to emerge before writing it down. Always write what you know, but do not be afraid to look beyond the horizon.

And most importantly, as you hone your skills, don’t fall into the trap of imitation and cliché. In writing, it's important to follow the golden rule of showing, not telling. As Anton Chekhov said: «Don’t tell me that the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.» Poets should collect words that live in the present time but have such power that they become eternal. Often, poets create poems, copying the structure and rhythm of other poets. In order to gain recognition, one must be courageous and find their own poetic voice.