Umm-El-Banine Assadoulaeff
Encyclopedia
Umm-El-Banine Assadoulaeff (Umm El-Banu Äsâdullayeva) (1905-1992) was a French
writer of Azeri
descent - a daughter of famous Azeri millionaire
Musa Nagiyev
and wife of Azerbaijani businessman and politician Mirza Asadullayev
.. She wrote under the penname of Banine.
Banine emigrated to France
in 1923 following her father, a former minister in the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
(dec. 1918-April 1920). She moved to Istanbul
where she abandoned her husband whom she had been forced to marry at the age of fifteen and then fled to Paris
. There, after many years, literary acquaintances, including Montherlant
, Kazantzakis, and Malraux urged her to publish. Banine dedicated her later life to introducing the history and culture of Azerbaijan to France and Europe
. Her most famous writings are "Caucasian days
" and "Parisian days". Banine, who was the friend of the German writer Ernst Junger
and Russian Ivan Bunin, tells about her conversion to Catholicism
in her books.
Before her death, Banin published several articles about situation in Azerbaijan. She died in October 1992. Her obituary in the newspaper Le Figaro
called her "one of those personages of La vie romanesque who traverse a century, attracting like a lodestone all the singular figures of their times".
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
writer of Azeri
Azerbaijani people
The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
descent - a daughter of famous Azeri millionaire
Millionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account...
Musa Nagiyev
Musa Nagiyev
Musa Naghiyev was an Azerbaijani industrial oil magnate in late 19th - early 20th century.He was born into a very poor family near Baku and started working as a cargo carrier , but thanks to his natural wit and business abilities, he progressed to accumulate a vast amount of wealth...
and wife of Azerbaijani businessman and politician Mirza Asadullayev
Mirza Asadullayev
Mirza Asadullayev Shamsi oglu was an Azerbaijani industrial magnate, philanthropist and statesman who served as Minister of Industry and Trade in the third cabinet of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, and was member of Parliament of Azerbaijan.-Early years:...
.. She wrote under the penname of Banine.
Banine emigrated to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1923 following her father, a former minister in the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world . The ADR was founded on May 28, 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 by Azerbaijani National Council in...
(dec. 1918-April 1920). She moved to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
where she abandoned her husband whom she had been forced to marry at the age of fifteen and then fled to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. There, after many years, literary acquaintances, including Montherlant
Montherlant
Montherlant may refer to:* Henry de Montherlant* Montherlant, a commune in the Oise département, in France...
, Kazantzakis, and Malraux urged her to publish. Banine dedicated her later life to introducing the history and culture of Azerbaijan to France and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Her most famous writings are "Caucasian days
Caucasian days
Caucasian days -a novel of French writer of Azeri origin Banin, published in Paris, in 1945. The novel “Caucasian days” describes the history of Azerbaijan in 10-20th years of the 20th century, its national culture, mores and customs...
" and "Parisian days". Banine, who was the friend of the German writer Ernst Junger
Ernst Jünger
Ernst Jünger was a German writer. In addition to his novels and diaries, he is well known for Storm of Steel, an account of his experience during World War I. Some say he was one of Germany's greatest modern writers and a hero of the conservative revolutionary movement following World War I...
and Russian Ivan Bunin, tells about her conversion to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
in her books.
Before her death, Banin published several articles about situation in Azerbaijan. She died in October 1992. Her obituary in the newspaper Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
called her "one of those personages of La vie romanesque who traverse a century, attracting like a lodestone all the singular figures of their times".
Major works
- Nami . Gallimard, 1943
- Jours Caucasiens. Julliard, 1946
- Jours Parisiens . Julliard, 1947
- Rencontres avec Ernst Jünger. Paris: René Julliard, 1951.
- J'ai Choisi L'opium. Paris, Stock, 1960
- Après : Stock 1962
- Jünger, ce méridional. Antaios, 1965
- La France étrangère . Sos Desclée de Brouwer, 1968
- Portrait d'Ernst Jünger: Lettres, Textes, Rencontres. Paris: La Table Ronde, 1971.
- L'Homme des Complémentaires. La Table Ronde, 1977
- Ernst Jünger aux faces multiples. Lausanne: Éditions L'Age d'Homme, 1989.
- Jours Parisiens. Gris Banal 2003