Kurban Said

Kurban Said (pronounced kur-BAHN sa-EED), is the pseudonym for the author of Ali and Nino, a novel originally published in 1937 in the German language by the Austrian publisher, E.P. Tal. The novel currently has been published in more than 30 languages. The true identity of the author who wrote as Kurban Said is in dispute.

In Azerbaijan where the novel "Ali and Nino" has its setting, "Kurban" is pronounced "Gurban." The root of the word originates in Semitic languages—Arabic and Hebrew. The term connotes "sacrifice"—a traditional religious concept common to Middle Eastern cultures. "Said" means "joyful" or "fortunate."

However, in Turkic languages such as Azerbaijani, adjectives precede the nouns they modify, so the names would need to be reversed as "Said Kurban" to accurately convey the meaning "joyful sacrifice," or "fortunate sacrifice." This idea contradicts the storyline in the novel, which is anything but happy. A sad underlying melancholic theme pervades the novel from beginning to end.

Some people including Orkhan Vazirov (1928–2010), the son of Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli (core author of "Ali and Nino"), are convinced that the original pseudonym is more likely to have been "Kurban Seyid" or possibly "Seyid Kurban." "Seyid" refers to someone who is recognized as a descendent from the Prophet Mohammed—in other words, a person of sacred lineage. Thus, "Seyid Kurban" would more accurately convey the meaning of someone of sacred descent who had been sacrificed, which is exactly the theme of the novel "Ali and Nino." Ali Khan, the protagonist, sacrifices himself for the dream for himself and his country to be free. He dies while resisting the Bolshevik takeover of his country (1920). Note that in the Azerbaijani language, both "Gurban" and "Seyid" can be used as either first or last names.

Interestingly, Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli was a "seyid" himself, allegedly having been descended from Mohammed on both sides of his family. As for the name "Gurban," Chamanzaminli had written a short story entitled "Gurban."

In addition, he had referred to himself as "gurban" in correspondence to Azerbaijan Soviet authorities in 1925 when he was seeking permission to return home from Europe as he had been on a diplomatic assignment abroad representing the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) government which was in opposition to the Bolsheviks. Chamanzaminli realized that historical circumstances made him a likely victim of politics, as most of ADR government officials had been killed when the Bolsheviks came to power. Chamanzaminli would have had to have left the manuscript Ali and Nino in Europe at this time 1925–1926 as it was critical of the Bolshevik regime. Had he returned to Baku with the manuscript in hand, it would have been sheer suicide as the Bolsheviks had executed most of the government officials of the former regime and any opposition.

...
Wikipedia