Najaf bey Vazirov

Najaf bey Fatali oglu Vazirov (Azerbaijani: Nəcəf-bəy Vəzirov) (17 February 1854 – 9 July 1926) was an Azerbaijani playwright and journalist.

Najaf bey Vazirov played an exceptional role in the development of Azerbaijani dramaturgy, enriching its ideological and aesthetic content as well as its artistic qualities, and contributing significantly to the creation and growth of national theater. Through his public activities and literary works, he actively supported the national liberation movement. Najaf bey Vazirov laid the foundation of the tragedy genre in Azerbaijani literature and was closely involved in the expansion of the enlightenment movement directed against the feudal-patriarchal system in Azerbaijan.

As a student in Moscow, he corresponded with his teacher Hasan bey Zardabi and contributed journalistic articles to the newly published Akinchi. He began his dramaturgical career with the comedies "Ev tərbiyəsinin bir şəkli" (A Form of Home Education, 1875) and "Gəmi lövbərsiz olmaz" (A ship cannot sail without an anchor, 1876). The first play addressing the Baku oil industry and the rise of the national bourgeoisie, "Pehlivanani zamane" (1898–1900), was also written by Najaf bey Vazirov.

Following the revolution in Russia in 1917 and the establishment of the Soviet regime, Najaf bey Vazirov was appointed as an inspector in the Forest Department of the Soviet People's Commissariat for Land. He held this position until the end of his life, while simultaneously engaging in theater and translation activities. In his final days, despite warnings from doctors to stop working, he traveled with his students to the village of Chukhuryurd in Shamakhi. On July 9, 1926, he died there of heart failure.