Almas Ildyrym

File:Almas Ildyrym.jpg

Almas Ildyrym

Almas Ildyrym (25 March 1907, Baku – 14 January 1952, Alazyg, Turkey) was an Azerbaijani poet. After the Bolsheviks established their power in Azerbaijan in 1920, the fact that Ildyrym had been born into a wealthy merchant family plagued him for the rest of his life. Though he was accepted to the faculty of Eastern Literature at Azerbaijan State University, it wasn't long before they dismissed him because of his family origins.

In 1926, Almas co-authored a book of poems, "Yesterday is Today" (Dun Bugun) with Suleyman Rustam. Soon he was exiled to Dagestan for the nationalistic ideas in his poems. While in exile, he wrote "Memories from the Mountains" (Dağlardan Xatirələr), "Lezgi Lands" (Ləzgi Elləri), "Evenings in Crimea" (Krımda Axşamlar), "Salimkhan," and "Whose Fault is This?" (Günah Kimdədir?). Two years later, he returned to Baku and published a collection of poems entitled, "When Mountains Make a Sound" (Dağlar Səslənərkən, 1930). However, the distribution of this book was prohibited and the author was banned from the Writers' Union of Azerbaijan.

Again, he was exiled, this time to Turkmenistan where he worked as a school director. But because he was constantly repressed, he decided to escape to Iran with his family. However, while crossing the border into Iran, he was caught and made to stay in water up to his chest for hours. Upon being released, he decided to leave for Eastern Anatolia in Turkey.

Many of his works describe the longing he had for his native land. He published his poems about his love and longing for his country in the magazines "Salvation" (Qurtuluş) in Germany, "Çinar Altı" in Kars, as well as "Kok Boru," "Organ," "Ozleyish" and in "Van" newspaper in Turkey. He published his poems that he had written up until 1936 in the book, "Undying Poem." Other books are "Azerbaijani Songs" and "Azerbaijani Bayatys."

External Links

• Poems by Almas Ildyrym, Azerbaijan International Magazine