Məmmədhuseyn Əliyev (Qail)

Mammadhuseyn Aliyev was born on April 25, 1925 in the village of Gurdasa, Lerik region. After graduating from high school in 1940, he was sent to teacher courses organized by the Azerbaijan Teachers' Institute at the Lenkoran Pedagogical College. After completing the courses, he was appointed as a teacher. In 1946–1949 he continued his education at the Faculty of History and Philosophy of the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical Institute. He soon became known in print under the pseudonym "Gail". In 1954 he graduated from the Faculty of Philology and Journalism of the Azerbaijan State University and continued his literary activity.

In 1947, his first work «Səs verirəm» (“I give my voice”) was published in the Lerik newspaper «Kolxoz yolu» (“Collective Farm Road”). Since 1940, he worked as a teacher in different schools in Lerik and Lankaran. Since 1960, he was a member of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union. In 1977, on his initiative, the Lankaran zonal branch of the Writers' Union was opened; from the moment of opening until his death he was its executive secretary.

He began his literary career with poetry, then created significant prose works. His novels and stories «Qayaların səsi» (“Voice of the Rocks”), «Dağlar oğlu» (“Son of the Mountains”), «Torpağın səsi» (“Voice of the Earth”), «Döyuşən illər» (“Fighting Years”) and others have been published. The plays «Prokuror», «Ana fəryadı» (“Mother’s Cry”) and others were staged at the Lenkoran State Theater. He was awarded the honorary title of Honored Cultural Worker of Azerbaijan and a number of medals. He was the founder and editor of the magazine «Şəfəq», the organ of the Lenkoran zonal branch of the Writers' Union. Died 07/16/1994.

Biographical information follows the 2021 edition.