Molla Vali Vidadi

Who was Molla Vali Vidadi?

Molla Vali Vidadi was an Azerbaijani poet.

Little is known about Vidadi. He spent most of his life in his native town of Shamkir where he taught at a religious school he had established himself. According to some sources, Vidadi spent some years in Tiflis, Georgia, where he served as a court poet for King Erekle II. Upon the death of the king's son Levan in 1781 Vidadi wrote an elegy dedicated to the deceased. His court service did not last long, possibly due to his open criticism of the ruling class. At its early stage, Vidadi's poetry expressed positive view on life, however as years passed, his poems began expressing a more pessimistic attitude. His was also known for his poetic dialogue with Molla Panah Vagif. Vidadi's simple and realistic literary style resembled the traditional Azeri ashik genre.