October 21 is the birthday of poet, critic and literary critic Khalil Rza Ulutürk.
Oku.Az remember that he was born in 1932 in the Salyan district.
Khalil Rza studied at Ulutürk City High School No. 2 and became a member of the Salyan City Library Literature Club.
He wrote his first poem “Absheron” in 1948.
In 1949-54 he studied journalism at the Azerbaijan State University.
In the 1950s and 1960s he worked as a senior lecturer at the Azerbaijan Pedagogical University. Khalil Rza, who graduated from Azerbaijan State University in 1954, began his career in the magazine “The Woman of Azerbaijan.”
In 1955-57, when he worked here as a literary worker, he attracted the attention of the literary community with the articles and poems he published.
In 1954, Khalil Reza was elected to the Writers’ Union of the USSR.
His first collection of poems, “Spring is Coming,” was published in 1957.
In August 1957, the Azerbaijan Writers’ Union sent Khalil Reza to Moscow for two-year higher literature courses at the Institute of World Literature named after M. Gorky.
Returning to Baku in 1959, the poet continued his studies at the graduate school of the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical Institute.
In 1963 he successfully defended his thesis on “The poetic genre in post-war Soviet Azerbaijani literature (1945-50)” and obtained the scientific title of candidate of philological sciences. Later they kept him as a teacher at the institute. From the day he entered the public as a teacher, Khalil Reza did not limit himself to the framework of the lesson program, he passionately spoke about our ancient national and human values and our mother tongue in his patriotic lectures.
In 1986 he received the honorary title “Honored Artist” for his services to the development of Azerbaijani literature.
In the late 1980s, as the popular liberation movement expanded, Khalil Reza’s strong voice was heard in all regions of Azerbaijan.
On January 26, 1990, Khalil Reza was arrested by employees of the State Security Committee of the USSR and sent to the Moscow prison, Lefortovo. Isolated from his environment for 8 months and 13 days, the poet writes the “Lefortovo Diary” and more than 200 poems, poems and letters in the light of his burning heart.
Khalil Reza published his works under the pseudonyms “Khalil Khalilov”, “Khalil Khalilbeyli”, “Khalil Odsever”, “Khalil Reza” until January 29, 1990, during his 40 years of literary and artistic creativity.
Khalil Reza, who was taken from Moscow to Baku on a sleeper train on October 9, 1990, was released after a month-long trial.
On May 6, 1991, Khalil Reza was awarded the honorary title of “Laureate of the Turkish Nation Prize”. A year later, in 1992, he received the honorary title of “People’s Poet of the Republic of Azerbaijan.”
The genius poet died on June 22, 1994.
