The Issue of Women and the Perspective on Women Poets in Varliq Magazine

Abstract

This study examines how the "woman question" and women poets were addressed in the journal Varliq, published in Tehran between 1979 and 2014 under the editorship of Javad Heyat. In addition to its historical role in preserving national consciousness in South Azerbaijan, the journal served as a significant platform for evaluating the position of women in society from both literary and sociological perspectives. The article first focuses on Javad Heyat’s perspective on women. While Heyat exalts the value attributed to women by Islam and ancient Turkish culture, he harshly criticizes the restriction of women's rights due to ignorance and bigotry. Viewing women’s education as a matter of civilization, Heyat advocated for gender equality through religious references and historical examples. The second part explores the journal's portrayal of women poets across a wide spectrum, from the Middle Ages to the modern era. Starting from the warrior and wise woman typology in the Dede Korkut epics, the literary identities of figures such as Mahsati Ganjavi, Aghabeyim Agha, and Nigar Rafibeyli are presented. Furthermore, emphasis is placed on the poems of Hokuma Billuri and Madina Gülgün - key figures of the "21 Azer" movement - which center on themes of longing for the homeland and the struggle for freedom. The final section analyzes the image of women in the works of Samad Vurgun, a titan of North Azerbaijani literature, and the reflection of Soviet-era women's policies in the journal. Varliq positioned women not merely as aesthetic figures, but as unshakable pillars of education, national struggle, and the family structure. In conclusion, the journal based the liberation of women on a balance between national-spiritual values and modern education.