Yusif Samadoghlu
Memory plaque of Yusif Samadoghlu in Baku[1]
Native name	Yusif Səmədoğlu
Born	Vəkilov Yusif Səməd oğlu (1935-12-25)December 25, 1935 Baku,Azerbaijan SSR,USSR
Died	August 17, 1998(1998-08-17) (aged 62) Baku, Azerbaijan
Resting place	Alley of Honor
Occupation	writer
Nationality	Azerbaijani
Citizenship	Soviet Union  Azerbaijan
Education	Baku State University
Notable awards
Relatives	Samad Vurgun,Vagif Samadoghlu

Yusif Samadoghlu (Azerbaijani:Yusif Səmədoğlu, 25 December 1935 – 17 August 1998) was an Azerbaijani writer,People's Writer of theRepublic of Azerbaijan, and a member of theSupreme Soviet of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Yusif Samadoghlu was born on 25 December 1935 inBaku. In 1953 he joined theMaxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow. He was transferred from the 4th year of the institute to the faculty of philology ofBaku State University and studied here in 1957–1958. He has worked as a literary worker, head of the prose department in the editorial office of "Azerbaijan" magazine (1960–1965), member of the editorial board and editor-in-chief of the film studio ofAzerbaijanfilm (1965–1969), Deputy Director of Azerbaijanfilm (1969–1976), Editor-in-Chief of "Star" Magazine (1976–1987), Editor-in-Chief of "Azerbaijan" Magazine (since 1987).^[2] Samadoghlu was elected to the secretariat staff of theUnion of Azerbaijani Writers (1991).

He was a member of the National Council of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which was established on November 26, 1991.

The writer died inBaku on August 16, 1998, and was buried in theAlley of Honor.

He began writing his first stories in the 1950s and his first collection of stories were published in 1960 with "Yusif Vakilov" signature. With the recommendation of Turkish poetNâzım Hikmet, Yusif took his father's name as a pseudonym — Yusif Samadoghlu.

Yusif Samadoghlu was developed in the 1960s as a prose-writer. “Cold Stone”, “Photo-Fantasy”, “Bayaty-Shiraz”, “Inja Darasinda”, “Astana” are examples of his classic stories. In the mid-1980s, Yusif Samadoghlu wrote a book entitled "The Day of the Murder", which had become one of the most successful literary events ofAzerbaijani literature of that time. "The Day of Murder" is about the world and human. The work is essentially a global issue as it focuses on the human problem, the spiritual development of the person, and the need for greater perfection.^[3] In the 1990s, the novel was screened by director Gulbeniz Azimzade. As a result of a survey among writers in 2014, "The Day of the Murder" was selected as the best novel of the 20th century in Azerbaijan.^[4]

Yusif Samadoghlu was a writer on film art. He created a screenplay for the high-profile film "My Seven Sons" based on the motives ofSamad Vurgun's "Comsomol Poem" (1969). Samadoghlu co-wrote the screenplay for "Wind of the Land" with Czechoslovakian playwrightJiří Marek. This movie was the first film in the history of Azerbaijanfilm studio in collaboration with foreign studio (Czechoslovakia) (1971).^[5]

He is also known for his works contradicting the principles ofSoviet ideology.

• Honored Art Worker of the Azerbaijan SSR – 30 July 1979^[6]
• Shohrat Order — 19 December 1995^[7]
• People's Writer of the Republic of Azerbaijan — 23 May 1998^[8]

• 20th-century Azerbaijani writers
• 1935 births
• 1998 deaths
• Maxim Gorky Literature Institute alumni
• Recipients of the Azerbaijan SSR Lenin Komsomol Prize

• Articles containing Azerbaijani-language text