Farid Huseyn

Studying a Butterfly
Selected Poems

ISBN-13: 978-0-939378-00-5

Edited by Gjekë Marinaj, PhD

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STUDYING A BUTTERFLY:
AN UNDERSTANDING OF LOSS AND LOVE

Invoking literature and stories from his home country of Azerbaijan, and drawing inspiration from Arabic stories, Persian poetry, Russian art and literature, French philosophy, and Christian literature, Farid Huseyn creates vivid imagery of loss and rebirth, solitude and hope with his collection of poems.

Studying a Butterfly examines the struggles of love with ancient and modern metaphors. With comparisons to Adam’s gift of a rib to Eve in the Christian account of creation, alongside more contemporary images of feeding birds for his beloved, he conveys sacrifice for love.

His work also seeks to capture the solitude and despair of lost love, not only in a romantic sense, but in the loss of family. In a poem addressed to the Christian prophet Joseph, Huseyn draws parallels to the darkness felt by his mother after the death of his father to the darkness felt by Joseph while trapped in a well.

In his more modern accounts of lost love, Huseyn writes about the anguish caused by war. Using powerful phrases like “Everyone was hidden in the voice of the bullet…” he conveys the grief of having to bury a loved one killed in war.

However, while Huseyn’s work eloquently captures loss, it also captures themes of rejuvenation. In parallel to the book’s title, the work uses the imagery of wings to speak to exposing oneself and the truth. Though “My wings were shot at as I fly away,” Huseyn writes, “I have no regret.” He also strikes a hopeful note in spite of struggle - “You must be rain for the sake of flowers,” he notes, “Then you will know how babies/Are born in spite of bullets…”

A poet, essayist, translator, journalist, and editor, Huseyn’s work has been translated and published in several countries, including Russia, Belarus, England, Turkey, Ukraine, Serbia and Georgia. He is also a member of the Azerbaijani Writers’ Union and is editor of the literary section of the Kaspi newspaper.

A native of Kurdamir City, Azerbaijan, Huseyn holds a degree in poetry from the Azerbaijan Slavic University and is currently completing a doctorate in literature.

Studying a Butterfly was translated by Javanshir Yusifli.

The work lends empathy in loss and feelings of despair while giving a refreshing glimpse of hope in spite of adversity. With its depth of cultural references and elegant writing style, Huseyn’s newest work captures humanity’s deepest struggles and most victorious triumphs.

By Korri Kezar

About Farid

Born in 1998 in Kurdamir City, Azerbaijan, Farid Huseyn is a poet, essayist, translator, journalist, and editor. After his studies at the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts, Huseyn earned an Academic Degree in Poetry at the Azerbaijan Slavic University.

Currently completing his PhD in Literature, his poems have been translated and published in several countries, including Russia, Belarus, England, Turkey, Ukraine, Serbian, and Georgia. A member of the Azerbaijani Writers’ Union, Huseyn is editor of the literary section of the Kaspi newspaper.