News

On August 22, in accordance with the Presidential Decree of the Republic of Azerbaijan titled “On the celebration of the 90th anniversary of People’s Poet and State Prize laureate Fikrat Goja”, an event titled “People’s Poet Fikrat Goja” was held at the National Library, co-organized by the Ministry of Culture and the National Library.

Opening the event, Director of the National Library, Professor Karim Tahirov, welcomed the guests and stated that Fikrat Goja—one of the prominent figures of Azerbaijani literature, People’s Poet, and State Prize laureate—devoted his life tirelessly to the development of Azerbaijani literature. He also noted that the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, signed a decree on May 8, 2025, to mark the poet’s 90th jubilee. As part of this, the National Library has prepared a bibliographic publication titled “Fikrat Goja. Bibliography”, dedicated to the poet.

Sharing his personal memories, Professor Tahirov described Fikrat Goja as a modest man and a lyrical poet, noting that many of his poems were set to music by Azerbaijan’s most renowned composers. He emphasized that as long as Azerbaijani literature exists, Fikrat Goja will live on in the memory of those who love him.

During the event, Chairman of the Press Council of Azerbaijan and Deputy Chairman of the Writers' Union, Rashad Majid, recalled his memories of Fikrat Goja, saying that he admired the poet’s work even before meeting him personally and had memorized several of his poems. He mentioned working closely with Goja at the Writers’ Union and traveling together on numerous occasions, highlighting his great human qualities. He added that Fikrat Goja is among the most widely sung poets in Azerbaijan and always paid special attention to young writers. His poetry will remain eternal in Azerbaijani literature.

Writer, poet, and Secretary of the Writers’ Union, Ilgar Fahmi, spoke about Fikrat Goja’s contributions not only to literature but also to various fields of culture and art. He pointed out that Goja actively reflected on both global and domestic social issues through his artistic and journalistic writings. He characterized Fikrat Goja’s creative work as a delicate, gentle, and lyrical response to public and social matters, filled with sincere poetic spirit.

Other speakers included Elchin Huseynbeyli, Honored Art Worker and Secretary of the Writers’ Union; Asad Jahangir, Head of the Literary Translation and International Relations Center of the Union; Gulu Agasess, Editor-in-Chief of Ulduz magazine; and poet Aybeniz Ismayılova. They all emphasized Fikrat Goja’s distinctive poetic style, describing him as a symbolic figure of integrity and innovation in Azerbaijani poetry, and shared their personal memories of him.

The final speaker was the poet’s sister, Guldeniz Gojaeva, PhD in Philology and researcher at the Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature of ANAS. She expressed her gratitude to the National Library's leadership and event participants for organizing the tribute. Recalling her brother’s life, she noted his ever-innovative spirit and the deep love for his homeland and people reflected in all his works.

The event also featured the presentation of an electronic database titled “People’s Poet Fikrat Goja” (link here) and a virtual exhibition (link here) prepared by the staff of the National Library.

At the end of the event, attendees visited the traditional book exhibition titled “People’s Poet Fikrat Goja – 90”, dedicated to the poet’s 90th anniversary.