Anar: SOCAR does not Fund Azerbaijani Literature

Writers' Union of Azerbaijan and the Russian agency Interfax signed an agreement on the placement of Azerbaijani literature on the agency site. After the ceremony, there was a press conference by Anar, the president of the Union of Writers. According to him, the literature will be placed in a special section of the agency site. "It is very important to promote Azerbaijani literature," the writer said.

Anar denied information that there are tense relations between young writers and writers of the older generation.

"We pay much attention to young writers, and their works are published in magazines. Even my deputy is a young writer," he said.

He spoke about the conflict over the distribution of flats for writers; Anar said that in no country does the state provide writers with apartments.

"I asked for providing the writers with apartments. The government has allocated land where housing was built, where 34 writers will get flats in them. However, there were 44 people on the list. Therefore, 10 people who do not have apartments, have express dissatisfaction. If it is possible, they also will be provided with an apartment. 

As for construction of a recreation center for writers in Shabran, due to the financial crisis, money for this purposes has not been issued yet," Anar said. He also said that either the end of this or early next year, a regular congress of writers would be held. Anar did not explain whether he will nominate his candidature for the presidency of the Union. "I announce it at the Congress," he said.

Anar said that he is against the honorary title "People's Writer" and "People's Poet", calling it a product of Soviet thinking. "Three times I raised this question and faced criticism for writers. After that 10 writers, including me, were awarded the title People Writer, and I could not raise this issue any more," said Anar.

According to Anar, there are more than 30 writers from South Azerbaijan in the Writers' Union. "We will continue to accept them into the Union," said Anar.  Responding to the question on entrepreneur’s sponsorship for book publication, Anar said there were no such cases. However, millionaires from Baku Azerbaijan financed the publication of classics. Publications of Azerbaijani writers are not funded even by SOCAR.

"We lease the first floor of his building, and with the money we publish the works of South Azerbaijan writers and our classics," said Anar.  SOCAR funds the news agency İnterFax-Azerbaijan, which hosted this press conference. -03C04-