In the 20s of the XX century, to bring new literary works to a wider readership audience, there was a need for a large-scale printing press. In order to develop education, literature and art, by the resolution of the board of the People's Commissariat of Education of Azerbaijan dated October 14, 1922, the magazine "Enlightenment and Culture" (later "Azerbaijan") began to be published on January 28, 1923.

The first issue of the magazine "Enlightenment and Culture" was published in 36 pages. The editorial office of the magazine was located in the "House of Enlightenment", not far from the current Sabir Square. The first editor of the magazine was the outstanding writer Taghi Shahbazi (Simurg).

The publication of the magazine "Enlightenment and Culture" was suspended in 1924 after the publication of the 8th issue. Due to the difficult economic situation in the republic, lack of financial resources, stocks of paper and printing equipment, the magazine was not published for almost a year. Temporary difficulties were overcome after ten months, and the magazine resumed publication in July 1925. The editorial staff includes such educators, writers, and journalists as Abdullah Shaig, Bekir Chobanzade, Ahmed Pepinov.

In October 1926, the magazine "Enlightenment and Culture" became the official organ of the People's Commissariat of Education and the creative union "Golden Pen".

Due to the events that took place in the socio-political, literary and cultural life of the country, the name of the magazine “Azerbaijan", which is an active printing body of the Union of Writers of Azerbaijan and has passed a glorious path, has changed 6 times. The magazine was published under the titles "Enlightenment and Culture" (1923-1927), "Revolution and Culture" (1928-1936), "Revolution and Culture" (1936-1941), "For the Motherland" (1941-1946), "Revolution and Culture" (1946-1952), "Azerbaijan" (from 1953 to the present day).

Since the first years of the publication, Azerbaijan has been publishing on its page’s excellent examples of modern and classical literature, articles on literary criticism, and articles covering all fields of art. Along with the works of outstanding poets and writers such as J. Mammadkulizade, A. Hagverdiev, S. S. Akhundov, A. Shaig, Y. V. Chamanzaminli, J. Jabbarli, T. Sh. Simurg, S. Vurgun, R. Raza, M. Husein, G. Abbaszade and S. Rustam, the magazine also published works of young talents, which contributed to the formation of new literary forces.

Along with the life and work of the great classics of Russian and world literature such as Herodotus, Homer, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Firdousi, Omar Khayyam, V. Hugo, E. Zola, A.S. Pushkin, M.Yu. Lermontov, N.V. Gogol, L.N. Tolstoy, A.P. Chekhov, A.M. Gorky, R. Tagore, R. Rolland and other great writers, translations of their works were also published in the magazine.

The activity of the “Azerbaijan” magazine during the period of independence is the most glorious page of the long-term life of this literary body. The magazine "Azerbaijan", publishing the best works of various genres of the new historical era, served the formation and development of literature of the independence period.

The “Azerbaijan” magazine is a mirror and one of the main driving forces of Azerbaijani literature of the period of independence. In this sense, the magazine “Azerbaijan” is the face of Azerbaijani literature of the period of independence.

In the “Azerbaijan” magazine, you can see all the tendencies and directions of the development of the modern literary process in our country. However, the magazine is not a formal experiment, but a magnificent collection of great literature that has already earned the right to life.

Recommended literature:

1. Aşırlı, Akif.  Azərbaycan mətbuatı tarixi / A. Aşırlı. II hissə : 1920-1990 / elmi red. C. Məmmədli. - Bakı : Elm və təhsil, 2010. - 227 s.
2. Quliyeva, Qərənfil Dünyamin qızı. Mətbuat - nicat yolu : elmi-publisistik və bədii məqalələr toplusu / Q. D. Quliyeva ; elmi red. Ş. Q. Vəliyev. - Bakı : ADPU nəşriyyatı, 2013. - 291 s.
3. Azərbaycan mətbuatı tarixi: dərslik / tərt.-red. A. Şahverdiyev. - Bakı : Təhsil EİM, 2006. - 252 s.
4. Azərbaycan mətbuat tarixi antologiyası / red. heyəti: Ə. Həsənov, V. Səfərli, Ə. Ə. Amaşov, tərt., elmi red.: Ş. Q. Vəliyev, N. Q. Yaqublu. I cild. - Bakı : Elm və təhsil, 2010. - 440 s.
5. Mətbuat tarixi və publisistika məsələləri / İ. Ə. Həbibbəyli [et al.] ; tərt. A. H. Rüstəmli ; elmi red. İ. Ə. Həbibbəyli. - Bakı : Ozan, 2016. - 184 s.