An Azerbaijani enlightener, publicist-writer, critic and translater Firidun bey Kocharli was born on January 26, 1863, in Shusha.

He received his education at mollakhana (a religious school) in Shusha (1870- 1872), estates school by Mirza Karim Munshizade (1872-1875), the 2nd grade city school (1876-1879). In 1885 he finished the Transcaucasian teacher’s seminary in Gori (Georgia). He worked as a teacher at the Iravan gymnasium (1885-1896) and Azerbaijani department of Transcaucasian teacher’s seminary in Gori (1896-1917). According to the request of seminary students after the February Revolution in 1917, he was appointed to the position of a temporary instructor of the Azerbaijani department of the seminary. In 1918 F. Kocharli worked at a position of the chief of the Gazakh Teacher’s Seminary, opened on his initiative under the Gori Seminary.

In 1917 F. Kocharli became a participant of political processes and joined “Musavat” party. On May 28, 1918, he was elected a member of the National Council of Azerbaijan. On May 28, 1918, at the meeting of the National Council of Azerbaijan, which was hold in Tbilisi, the Act of independence of Azerbaijan was adopted. F. Kocharli was one of the 24 members of the National Council who voted for adoption of this Act.

F. Kocharli had a brilliant creative activity in various spheres of literature, such as publicism, the history of literature, collection of folklore samples, compilation and publication of textbooks and literary translation. The profound knowledge of compatriots’ creativity was noted in his numerous publications about 130 works of the Azerbaijani writers and poets, which were not generalized into a single whole, consecutive scientific research before that.  

The main theme of the journalistic articles by F. Kocharli was the criticism of the colonial policy of tsarism in Azerbaijan, a call for national awakening and political activism, protection of peasants’ rights, struggle for women’s freedom, problem of enlightenment and other issues.

F. Kocharli is the founder of “Azerbaijan children's literature anthology”.

His wife Badiseba khanim was a descendant of famous Vakilovs family.

During the transition period to the Soviet regime, which caused a political and public turmoil, in May 1920 Kocharli was arrested and sent to Ganja, where he was executed with no investigation or trial by special department of the 11th Red army. According to the false verdict issued by Armenian Sarkis Danilian, Firidun bey Kocharli was shot dead on June 4 in Ganja at the age of 58.

Recommended literature:

1. Zeynalov, Əsgər Məmməd oğlu. İrəvan məktəbləri / Ə. M. Zeynalov ; red. T. Ə. Əhmədov. - Bakı : Mütərcim, 2011. - 56 s.
2. Mikayılqızı, Pərixanım. Firidun bəy Köçərli: "Ümmətdən-millətə doğru" / P. Mikayılqızı ; elmi red. Ş. Q. Vəliyev ; Azərbaycan Respublikası Prezidentinin İşlər İdarəsinin Siyasi Sənədlər Arxivi. - Bakı : Elm və təhsil, 2016. - 490 s.