An Invitation to Wander

"An invitation to wander" is Lyudmila Lavrova’s introduction to the book Contrasts, collection of poems by Hamlet Isaxanli which were translated from Azerbaijani into Russian by Alla Akhundova (Izograf, Moscow, 2006). Lavrova describes Isaxanli’s poetry as "transparent and simple", comparing him to a medieval Arab-Islamic philosopher because of the themes throughout his works of "Many and One". Even in small details of life and nature, he finds cause to revere the Divine. His poetry is also notable for its connection to mathematics and its foundation of reason. This is logical given Isakhanli’s background as a mathematician; Lavrova offers an extensive biography of the poet and a list of awards he has won. Despite the mathematic and rational foundations of his work, his poetry is not limited to being appreciated by a Western audience; Lavrova points out that Isakhanli’s poetry is also considered beautiful by Eastern standards of aesthetics. In fact, from an Eastern perspective, even more important than his "success" is his personal character, which is also worthy of esteem. Lavrova also discusses the origins of his inspiration for his works, concluding that the goal of Isakhanli’s poetry is to "nurture morality".‖