Azerbaijani folklore in the research of Polish orientalists of the 19th century

In this article, the author analyzes the activities of Polish orientalists from the 19th century, who were among the first to start research ing Azerbaijani oral folklore, collecting it and translating it into many languages, including Polish, English, French and Russian. Interest in this subject was raised with the development of sentimentalism and romanticism in Europe and Russia. The aim was then to recreate “folk literature”, i.e. the one that would fully reflect the “national spirit”, ancient traditions and customs. The Polish orientalists, mentioned in the article, made a powerful contribution to the development of Azerbaijani folklore. Moreover, their works still remain relevant and constitute an important heritage of Azerbaijani literature and folklore.