Stone Dreams (2012)

Aylisli was a popular writer in Azerbaijan until the publication of his 2012 novella Stone Dreams, which told of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the 20th century, and of the massacres of Armenians by Azeris.

Aylisli’s novella depicts the pogroms carried out by Azerbaijanis against the Armenians in Sumgait and Baku, as well as portrays the drama of two nations at war over Nagorno-Karabakh. In the story, he depicts Armenians being attacked by Azerbaijanis who were kicked out of Armenia in the wake of the bitter war and the local Azerbaijanis helping the Armenians in Baku. The sympathetic depiction of Armenians drew massive protests from young Azerbaijanis outside the house of the 75-year-old writer, calling him a traitor to his nation and urging him to leave the country.