Nabi Khazri

Nabi Khazri died of acute ischemic stroke at 10:45 am on January 15, 2007 and was buried on 1st Alley of Honor on January 16.

His first book of poems, "Prosperous Dreams" was published in 1950. Nabi Khazri was the author of "Years and coasts" (1969), "Caravan of the stars " (1979), "Generations-centuries" (1985), "White lightnings" (1986), "I swear on the soil" (1989), "The leaves of the plane tree" (1995), "The bloody tulips of the Century" (1996) and other books. Nabi Khazri's poems have been translated and published in many different languages. His literary translations have enabled Azerbaijani readers to get acquainted with poetry of the world. A book of selected works by Nabi Khazri was also published in Tehran in 1988 by transferring it to the Arabic alphabet by Piruz Dilanchi.

Nabi Alekber oghlu Babayev (Azerbaijani: Nəbi Ələkbər oğlu Babayev; December 10, 1924 – January 15, 2007), better known as Nabi Khazri (Azerbaijani: Nəbi Xəzri), was an Azerbaijani poet, playwright, publicist, translator, screenwriter. He was a member of Union of Azerbaijani Writers since 1945, laureate of All-Union Lenin Komsomol Prize (1968), State Prize of the USSR (1973), State Prize of Azerbaijan (1982), honored art worker of the Azerbaijan SSR (1979), and People's poet of Azerbaijan (1984).

Nabi Khazri was born on December 10, 1924 in the village of Khirdalan to a merchant family. His father, Karbalai Alekber Baba oghlu (1873–1933) was a merchant. Khazri graduated from secondary school and began his career. After participating in the Second World War in 1942–1943, he worked as editor at the editorial office of the "Communist" newspaper in 1943–1945 and worked as broadcaster at "Azerbaijan radio". At the age of 20 he was invited to the Union of Writers by Samad Vurgun. He studied at Azerbaijan State University in 1945–1947, at Leningrad State University in 1947–1949, and Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in 1949–1952. After completing his education in 1952, Nabi Khazri worked as consultant at Azerbaijan Writers Union until 1957 and in 1957–1958 as literary worker at the editorial office of the "Literature and Art" newspaper. He worked as the secretary of the Union of Writers of Azerbaijan in 1958–1965, chairman of the Azerbaijan State Television and Radio Broadcasting Committee in 1965–1971, and Deputy Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan in 1971–1974. Since 1974, Nabi Khazri, chairman of the presidium of the Society for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries of Azerbaijan which were renamed "The World of Azerbaijan" International Relations Center in 1992.