Contemplation on the Identity of the Republic of Azerbaijan Embodied in the Novel 『Ali and Nino』

Situated right in between the Islamic world and the European world, the identity of Republic of Azerbaijan as a nation was very much shaped and influenced by the two distinct worlds. Such geopolitical factor of the Republic of Azerbaijan inevitably led to the coexistence of diverse cultural, ethnic and religious values as well as conflicts and clashes of contradictory beliefs and practices. The novel 『Ali and Nino』 is set in the Caucasus region, which was a melting pot of various cultures during the turbulent era of the early 20thcentury. The novel, which revolves around the love story of Ali and Nino, vividly demonstrates the conflicts and clashes of different cultures, religions, lifestyles, customs and values prevalently witnessed during the early 20th century in the Republic of Azerbaijan. Although marrying a woman of different religion was condemned with in the Islamic society, Ali, the male protagonist, marries Nino, a Christian woman from the Western culture. Through the power of love, he overcomes their reconcilable differences he encounters in a world he is unable to understand or relate to. Throughout the novel, Ali also displays the tenacity of successfully preserving his identity as a Muslim even during the trials and tribulations of the turbulent era, marked by the Westernization of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The fact that Ali loves the ‘desert’ while Nino loves the ‘wood’ symbolizes the different values and upbringings that set the two individuals apart. Ali and Nino both accept the fact they hold different values, yet they do not force their values upon each other. For instance, Ali does not particularly stand against the Islamic law, Sharia, yet this does not mean that he conforms to it either nor does he compel Nino to adhere to it. In other words, he is ready to embrace cultures different from his and wiling to find a suitable halfway point that satisfies both of them. In short, 『Ali and Nino』 is a story about a pair of lovers that undergoes an identity crisis as they become involved with each other and walk on the borderline of two different worlds, yet, ultimately overcomes the crisis through the power of love. The naming of their soon to be born baby ‘Tamar’, a name that is used in both Christianity and Islam, shows their willingness to retain both identities as a Muslim and a Christian. Through the struggles of Ali and Nino to define and preserve their identities, the novel implies that an identity, in its true sense, is founded on a particular ethnicity, culture or religion, instead, is formed while one autonomously and independently strives to create a world of harmony.