On April 30, 2021, the Institute of Literature named after Nizami Ganjavi of ANAS hosted the defense of Khazar University Vice-Rector for Administration and Student Affairs Isakhan Isakhanli’s doctoral dissertation on “Sergei Yesenin’s Poetry in the Azerbaijani and Oriental Literary Context.” 

In his speech, Isakhan Isakhanli said that he dedicated this defense to the memory of Nailexanim Isayeva: “I dedicate this defense to the memory of Nailexanim Isayeva, beloved wife of my brother Hamlet Isakhanli, who has been always supportive to me since my childhood and student years, and who has been waiting for this day as excited as I have been. May God have mercy on her soul!”

After Isakhan Isakhanli briefed on the content and scientific innovations of the dissertation, scientific advisor academician Isa Habibbayli, opponents academician Nizami Jafarov, professor Badirkhan Ahmadov, professor Rafig Novruzov and Russian professor Sergey Nikolayevich Pyatkin spoke about the importance of the dissertation. They stressed that it is a valuable contribution not only to Azerbaijani but also Russian Yesenin studies.

Later, the board members asked the defender many interesting questions. The defender's confident, complete, and concise answers to the questions were met with interest and sympathy by the board members. Then, members of the board, Professor Vugar Ahmad, Professor Telman Jafarov, Professor Flora Najiyeva, Professor Bella Musayeva, Professor Fikret Rzayev and others spoke and expressed their kind words and thoughts about the dissertation and its author.

Alongside with Azerbaijani researchers and scientists, Natalia Igorevna Shubnikova-Guseva, the head of the Yesenin Group at the Gorky Institute of Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the editor-in-chief of the Yesenin Encyclopedia, the professor of the University of Cannes-Normandy in France (Professor Emeritus), and Professor Michel Nietzsche also commented on the dissertation.

As a result of the voting, by the unanimous decision of the Dissertation Board, it was decided that Isakhan Isakhanli fully deserved to receive the degree of Doctor of Philology.

In the end, Isakhan Isakhanli expressed his sincere gratitude to everyone who worked in the defense process.

It should be noted that Khazar University staff watched this defense process with great enthusiasm and interest on a specially installed screen at the university.

We congratulate Isakhan Isakhanli on the occasion of his successful defense, and wish him further achievements!