lived in Baku Rasul Rza was born Rasul Ibrahim oglu Rzayev on May 19, 1910, in
Goychay. He studied at the Transcaucasus Communist University, the Azerbaijan Scientific Research Institute and the Soviet Cinematography Institute. He was Chairman of
Writers' Union of Azerbaijan in 1939, minister of Azerbaijani Cinematography (1945–48), chief editor of the
Azerbaijani Soviet Encyclopedia (1966–75), and a member of the board of directors of the
USSR Union of Writers (from 1964). From the start of his writing career he adopted a shortened name Rasul Rza. His first poem was called
Bu gün (
Today), published in
Tbilisi. His serious multidimensional writings began in the 1930s. During the
Great Patriotic War, he published many novels calling for patriotic spirit. He also wrote a poem about
Lenin. In the 1960s, he began writing in a more philosophical tone, relating his novels to intellectual themes, analytical thinking, philosophical approach to daily life and so forth. The lyrical poems, dramas and prose works he wrote hinted at a sustained and subtle criticism of the Soviet regime, for which he was banned from writing for a period of time. Additionally, he began composing songs to his poems. He died in
Baku on April 1, 1981, and was buried in
Fakhri Khiyaban. A commemoration ceremony was held in his honor in
Ankara in 2010. ==References==