Baku to host international conference on ‘Ali and Nino’

Next year, Baku will host an international conference dedicated to "Ali and Nino" novel by an Azerbaijani author, who wrote under the pen name Kurban Said.

Ali and Nino is a tale of love and one of the most original works of twentieth century literature.

The epic love story is about an Azerbaijani Muslim boy Ali and Georgian Nino, who live in the oil-rich capital of Azerbaijan, which at the beginning of the 20th century was a melting pot of different cultures. Despite differences in cultures, they have loved each other since childhood.

Isa Habibbayli, Vice President of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Director of Nizami Institute of Literature, said that the agreement to hold the conference was reached at a meeting with the management of Georgian Institute of Literature named after Rustaveli.

The conference will be co-organized by the two institutions, bringing together scientists and philosophers from many countries. The novel is considered an important contribution to strengthening of relations between the neighboring and brotherly Azerbaijani and Georgian peoples.

One of the main goals of the event is to study how the novel influenced the development of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Georgia.

The conference will hear reports on a number of issues, including on the role of the novel in developing ties of friendship between the Azerbaijani and Georgian people, and on the development of Azerbaijani and Georgian literature during the years of independence.

The novel was recently screened by Oscar-winning Indo-British filmmaker Asif Kapadia’s and produced by Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Leyla Aliyeva and Chris Tike.

The premiere of the film was held in Los Angeles in early 2016.

The shooting took place in Baku, including the streets of the historic Icherisheher (Old City) and in different places of the capital, as well as in Gobustan and Khynalyg. The stars of the 104-minute film include Adam Bakri, Maria Valverde, also known from movie “Three meters above the sky,” Mandy Patinkin, Connie Nielsen, Riccardo Scamarcio, Homayoun Ershadi and others.