Azerbaijani literature in 2015: Literary process, figures, genres, themes (the case of Azerbaycan Journal)

This study was carried out with the aim of determining the overall framework of Azerbaijani literature in 2015, based on all 12 issues of the Azerbaycan magazine published throughout the year. As one of the most significant periodicals within the contemporary Azerbaijani literary sphere, Azerbaycan functions as a crucial platform for the emergence of poets, writers, and literary tendencies, thereby serving as a primary source reflecting the spirit of the time. Since magazines allow for the immediate publication of literary works, they act as firsthand documents of both the sociopolitical climate and the aesthetic orientations of a given period. In this respect, this study—structured as an annotated bibliography—aims not only to list the works but also to offer contextual and content-based evaluations. The purpose of this study is to classify the literary output of 2015 based on genre, author, and theme; to conduct document analysis; and to provide literary criticism in order to construct a holistic evaluation of the period. To this end, qualitative methods such as critical analysis, content analysis, and document analysis were employed. Initially, a genre-author-work map was created using data published by the National Library of Azerbaijan. This was followed by an examination of the critical perspectives of the time, based on the annual publication Edebî Proses (Literary Process) – 2015 issued by the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. The findings reveal that poetry was the most represented genre in the magazine. Of the 691 poems identified, the majority were lyrical in theme and composed in free verse form. In addition to poetry, short stories, essays, literary criticism, and translated works were also significantly present. The representation of female authors was notably lower compared to male authors. The near absence of religious themes in the works suggests that literary production was shaped under the influence of state policies. Taken together, the data indicate that 2015 was a period of transition and exploration in Azerbaijani literature, characterized by both formal and thematic diversification, alongside institutional guidance. In this context, the annotated bibliography not only provides a literary panorama of the year 2015 but also serves as a valuable resource for future academic research on the literature of this period.