BIOGRAPHY OF NEZAMI GANJEIE

Date of birth: 1140
Death: 1210 or 1215
Poet and storyteller
Full name: JAMALUDIN ABOU MOHAMMAD
Nick name: NEZAMI
Lived in 12 century, historians call him leader of storytellers in Persian literature.
He was orphaned early and was raised up and became educated by his mother`s uncle. His mother was an aristocrat. About his father`s birth place, there are many disputes. Some say he was from TAFRESH. References in KHOSROW SHIRIN shows that NEZAMI`s first wife was a slave girl, who was sent to him as a gift. When their son Mohammad was 7 years old, unfortunately she expired. His other two wives died soon.
He was knowing common sciences of his era well (literary science, astronomy, Islamic studies and Arabic). His extensive knowledge is shown well in his meaning full poems. He was having close friendship with KHAGHANI. He says in his own poem:
I was saying KHAGHANI will remember me after my death
Oh alas, I remember him after his death
NEZAMI GANJEIE spent most of life in loneliness and for a short time in 1185 accepted the invitation of KING GHAZAL ARSALAN and went 30 miles away and saw the honor and dignity. Even though he was not praising the rulers but had very good relation with them. Many like BAHRAM SHAH, ATABAK SHAMSUDIN, TOGHROL SALJOGHI and others.

ETHICS:

In moral purity and virtue, we can`t find any poet like him in the universe. There is not dirty word from beginning to the end of his articles. From this great master 6 treasures remained which were copied by other poets, but none of them have been able to afford as the real one.

HIS VALUABLE WORKS:

MAKHZANUL ASRAR, KHOSROW SHIRIN, LEILA MAJNOUN, seven bodies, prestige letters, destiny letters. All of these works his oratory and rhetoric.

EDUCATION:

Like most of ancient masters, was skilled in literature and Arabic. Stable in faith and moral characters. And had powerful knowledge in natural science, divine rules and mathematics.

POETRY STYLE:

We are proud that he is one of the pillars of Persian poetry and an absolute master of the language. He is like FERDOWSI, SAADI, who was able to establish and achieve a complete specific style. Although he is not the first storyteller in Persian language but he could develop the allegorical poem to maximum level till the end of the sixth century. He was unique in choosing words, creating new unique combinations, inventing new meanings describing the sights nature of individuals, using pleasant metaphors.
Additionally, according to his own time he was using Arabic compounds and words, scientific examples, principles of wisdom and moral science. Of course his speech is sometimes very difficult complex. But his skill in giving pleasant meaning and arranging the poem made others to copy his style.
He was well familiar with culture and history of this country. His skills lie deeply in the stories. That’s why he asks his book readers, several times, to discover the secrets of his poems. For example in poems of seven bodies:
Whatever you see in his good and evil poems
All are secrets and points of wisdom
Each is separate myth *** it became house of treasure and not myth
Poems of NEZAMI GANJAVI with source of his Iranian culture, makes unity the pre Islam and after Islam period in Iran.

HIS COLLEAGUES AND CONTEMPORARIES:

NEZAMI enjoyed the friendship and companions of many in his time, like KHAGHANI and OUFI. He had great respect toward them. For the sake of KHAGHANI, he composed a requiem.

NEZAMI GHANJAVI AND PREDECESSORS:

He brought some parts of SHAHNAME in his own style. But in term of style he was benefited from FAKHRODIN ASAAD GORGANI.

In his works he calls FERDOSI as wise predecessor of TOUS:

That wise predecessor of the TOUS made the face of word like bride
In that letter which he put gem *** left many unsaid talks
Did not say whatever was not necessary *** said whatever was compulsory

Some of his bits are close to SHAHNAME:

FERDOSI:

Think you are king and prophet - these are the two gems in one ring

NEZAMI GANJEIE:

In wisdom, kingdom and prophetic - are like two gems in one ring

COMPONENTS AND FEATURES OF HIS POETRY:

His imaginations and descriptions are very artistic
In picturing the nature, he is very powerful
He is the best in choice of words
He creates special combination of meanings

TRYING TO IMPERSONATE:

One of the researchers in republic of Azerbaijan attributed a bit to NEZAMI. But in technical view it is wrong. And has literary mistake. And this bit can`t be found in any manuscript. Moreover in Persian literature wolf is a bloody and brutal animal. And his bit has no pre and post counterfeiting. Now look at the fake bit:
My fathers of fathers were TURK- in wisdom each of them was TURK

But NEZAMI consider wolf as fool and wild animal:

Fox is king compare to wolf-fox searches for cattle and wolf for fish
Your message and name are big – don’t hide lion in leader of wolf
Despite the matter all the works of NEZAMI GANJAVI are Persian. But PANTER KIST group is attaching another poems of a TURK poet by name NEZAMI GHOUNAVI to the great Persian poet.
Republic of Azerbaijan is presenting unscientific claims in relation to NEZAMI GANJAVI. They keep many statues in his name in various squares of the world and try to introduce him as AZERBAIJANI poet and non- Iranian. Professor PAOLA ORSATTI, the professor of Persian language and literature in SAPIENZA University of Rome, says it is falsification of history. We have to react to such distortion. And in another case, IVAN MIKHALOVICH STABLIN KAMENSKI, professor and head of department of orientalism in saint PITSBOURG University
Regarding the statue of NEZAMI in one of the squares of the city and the falsification of history says: NEZAMI wan not talking in Turkish. He was living in that area. But his works are in Persian. And he was proud to be Iranian.

IDEAS AND INTERESTS:

Apart from poetry and eloquence, he was expert in philosophy, logic, mathematics and astronomy, Quran, Hadith, news and religion. His poems are about unity and oneness of God, and rejects the ideas of naturalists. His words in poems show that he was a pious man.