IN THE BOOKSTORE BY MAIDEN TOWER

Our city is constantly changing with the seemingly endless appearance of new skyscrapers, streets, shops, faces, events… But one of the few things that has not changed in our city is the small bookstore located near the Maiden Tower [Qiz Qalasi] that is known to many people, not just in Baku but even abroad…

A stronghold of permanence

It seems tiny by the standards of the big city, a bastion of literature seeking refuge in the magnificent shadow cast by its crowned neighbours - the monumental quality of the Maiden Tower, the solemnity of the caravanserai. Who knows - perhaps that's why it has always remained untouched by life's vicissitudes and conflicts, like an old sycamore tree or oak that has witnessed the passing of eras and withstoodchanges of all kinds. As soon as you push open the extravagant door, you are immediately greeted in the dimpremises by the never-changing seller, and now owner of the shop, Elman Mustafayev, or Elman dayi [uncle Elman], as his patrons call him. He looks the same as always, trim and neat, his posture perhaps slightly bent over the years. 

He will quietly, gently, and unobtrusively help you pick out a book, regardless of who comes in: noisy students, couples, mothers with children, grey-haired teachers, housewives, or - perhaps most commonly - tourists. And for good reason, as Elman dayi, according to his own admission, has specialties in seven different areas that he gained over the course of his long life. "I believe that a person should not limit himself to any one thing," he says, "He must strive to learn and understand many things." Elman dayi himself has managed to study at a culinary-trade institute (as a result of which he spent a year working as a restaurant manager) and learn to play the tar [stringed-instrument] in a club orchestra. And while serving in the army, he earned qualifications in three construction specialties; upon completing his service, he worked as an electrician, and eight years after finishing school, he began pursuing a degree in library sciences at university. It was his love for books and lite-rature that finally won out. However, his expansive knowledge from all these areas help him suggest books to visitors not only from an artistic or literary perspective, but from other perspectives such as musical theory or the culinary arts.

In spite of its lacklustre appearance, the history of the store is also noteworthy, even in a symbolic way. "Bookstore Publishing House 'Azerkitab' has been functioning here since 1978, "Elman tells us, "Before that there was a souvenir shop here." And before even that, there was a cizbiz [local dish] restaurant. And that's the truth so well encapsulated in Elman's aphorism: "Two things should be cheap: physical food - bread - and spiritual food - books." Needless to say, his transition to a new "specialisation" had a positive impact on the store, and, incidentally, the cheapest books in the city can be found in this store. The director himself proudly makes note of this fact. And it's a fact which deserve respects - just some years earlier, up until the 1990s, books would arrive from the state publishing houses, but sinceprivatisation in 2001, prices have been steadily rising. If before the shelves were filled with old editions from the Soviet era (you could even find books printed before 1993), now visitors are greeted by a motley multi-colouredcollage of modern literature, both foreign and Russian, as well as shiny magazine covers. Displayed separately, in a place of honour, right on the counter is "touristic" literature: manuals, guides, books on the history and art of Azerbaijan, phrasebooks. In general, according to the director, the aim of the shop is purely humanitarian: history, art, music, literature - no technical books. Naturally, the question arises whether or not literature has lost its appeal. Happily not! Every once in a while, a youth interested in classical literature will come into the bookstore. Even middle-aged people, says Elman dayi, are not averse to new literature. And he treats every visitor with care.

Recognising readers on sight

"Bookselling, unlike other trades, has its own peculiarities," says Elman. "For example, you must be adept at understanding the psychology of each customer, determine the level of his intellect and cultural awareness in order to recommend the right book." And readers do indeed heed his advice with thanks and appreciation. "I'm often asked what is the best way to learn Russian. I suggest language-study books, and most certainly recommend enrolling in a class. Of course, reading fiction plays an essential role in learning any language. In order to help them better cement their grasp of the language, I advise them to read the short stories of the Russian greats - Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Dostoyevsky, Goncharov, and Turgenev." As for contemporary works, whereas literature was once infused with Soviet ideology, now books can be found on any topic, he adds. But our shopkeeper is being too modest. You can find rare and dissident publications for mere pennies in this inconspicuous little shop. This is just yet another fascinating detail that draws parallels between our shop with the romantic bookshops of old Europe. Judging by Elman's humble and well-posed appearance, one would say that he is not simply the shop's manager, but the very face of the establishment, one recognised far beyond the borders of our country. "Many publications have be written about our store, television reports made about it; not long ago, they interviewed me for the BBC; there was an article in the New York Times; there's a page on a Japanese website devoted to us." And recently, he himself published a book titled "I became a guide of those who read" ("Kitab ahlinin sarrafi oldum"). The book contains memoirs of famous people he has met, rare archival letters (for example, letters from Baxtiyar Vahabzada [famous Azerbaijani poet] addressed to Elman), numerous articles written about the stores, and rare photos. One feels compelled to ask Elman dayi, who sees himself not as one who sells books, but rather as someone who helps distribute and popularise them, about the quality of contemporary li-terature, about contemporary Azerbaijani authors, the quality of translations into our native language. After all, if you remember the "traditions" of Soviet book publishing, a new work only made it to print after successfully jumping through all the hoops of numerous edits and passing through the tight grip of censorship. This was certainly a restriction on free speech, yet at the same time it ensured that sub-standard literature did not reach the market; a work of fiction published back then was of such a level that it would be considered a classic today. Today's book market, sadly, rarely has the opportunity to rejoice at works of such quality. This fact is confirmed by the owner of the bookstore: "Unfortunately, many low-quality books are being published nowadays, poorly written, without any substance, filled with plot holes… I would recommend young authors to read more, to expand their horizons. You can't produce a great literary work if your own literary experience is small. Baxtiyar Vahabzada, with whom I was friends for fifty years, would say: 'In order to write one line, I read forty pages!'" Among today's writers, Elman makes special note of Azerbaijani author Seymur Baycan, who is popular among the youth. "Seymur comes here almost once a week and buys many books. I ask him: 'Seymur, do you have time to read?' He answers: 'All I do is spend the days reading so that I may glean just the slightest bit of knowledge'."

Many translations have appeared in recent years, so Azerbaijani readers can finally satisfy their hunger and read in their own language works which until now had only been available in Russian. While the quality of the translations looks promising, sometimes the translators make egregious mistakes, not simply orthographical mistakes, but also stylistic. "It's not easy being a translator," says the director. "Not only do you need to know the language well, but you must also be familiar with the history and culture of the people from whose language you are translating. Indeed, it is impossible to convey nuances of speech, subtle turns and idioms if you lack such an understanding." It's hard to compare today's translators with the legends of the art - Isaak Ibrahimov, Mikail Rzaquluzada, Mirza Ibrahimov. Today's translators do everything in a hurry, in a rush, laments the director, and are ordinary and curious in this manner.

Who wrote "Hop-hop-nama"

Speaking of curiosities. The time has come to tell Elman-dayi's story of the day when a young couple entered the store. The woman asked, addressing the director: "Do you have the book by Baxtiyar Vahabzada 'Hop-hop-nama'? (as is well known, the author of this work is Mirza Alakbar Sabir)." "I stood there in amazement," said Elman, "At first I thought that the young women must have misspoken, so I looked at the young man by her side, her companion. But I couldn't see any sort of reaction on his face. And I thought to myself: what if this young couple gets married one days and have kids. What will they teach them? I later told this story to Baxtiyar Vahabzada, who was a frequent guest in my store, using her words: 'Baxtiyar Vahabzada, why don't we know about your work 'Hop-hop-name'? He laughed long and hard, and said that he couldn't have written it even if he wanted to."

Just as it is impossible to imagine the Old Town without this small bookstore, so too is it impossible to imagine this bookstore without its irreplaceable director, Elman Mustafayev. May he live a long life, one which will allow him as much as possible to continue to improve the literary tastes of our fellow citizens.