Molla Nasraddin (magazine)

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Molla Nasraddin cover (1910, #22)

Molla Nasraddin (Azeri: Molla Nəsrəddin; Russian: Молла Насреддин) was an eight-page satirical periodical published in Tiflis (from 1906 to 1917), Tabriz (in 1921) and Baku (from 1922 to 1931) in the Azeri and occasionally Russian languages.

1 History
2 Structure
3 See also
4 References

[edit] History

1910 cartoon from Molla Nasraddin

The periodical was founded by Jalil Mammadguluzadeh, a famous Azerbaijani and Iranian writer, and published by the Geyrat Publishing House owned by him. The name "Molla Nasraddin" was inspired by the 13th century Muslim cleric Nasreddin who was remembered for his funny stories and anecdotes. The main purpose of the magazine was to satirically depict various social phænomena, such as inequality, cultural assimilation, and corruption; and to ridicule backward lifestyles and values of the clergy and religious fanatics.^[1] In their articles, the columnists in an implicit way called upon the readers to modernize and accept more advanced Western social norms and practices.

Bold and denunciative articles were the reason for numerous searches performed by the police and frequent bans of Molla Nasraddin (in 1912, 1914 and 1917).^[2] After a 3-year break, the Mammadguluzadeh moved to Tabriz, Iran, where within the next year he published 8 more issues of the magazine.^[3]

The significance of Molla Nasraddin is in its development of the critical realist genre in Azerbaijani literature. It influenced similar processes in other cultures, primarily in Iran. Iranian cartoon art emerged as a result of publishing Molla Nasraddin in Tabriz in 1921. ^[4]