In 1928, on Bartold's recommendation, he became a professor of Persian language and literature at the Leningrad State University—[9] former Petrograd State University, and during the 1930s–1950s, he was the mentor of most Soviet Union,[4] and Azerbaijanian researchers of Persian and Muslim Turkic literature, his renowned Azerbaijanian disciple was Azada Rustamova (1932–2005) who later became leading Azerbaijanian orientalists and Turkologists.[10][D] He was arrested again in 1941 along with his son, Dmitrii, for anti-Soviet activities. However, Bertels was then suddenly released, and he was later awarded several Soviet decorations.[8] After the death of Stalin, Bertels became one of the first Soviet Orientalists to participate in conferences and to publish abroad.[4] He died in 1957,[11][12] and is buried in Novodevichy Cemetery.
Like most Orientalists, nothing is known about his personal life, he married Vera Vasilievna (1892–1969) before 1917,[E] and they had two sons, the Arabist and Iranist Dmitrii Evgenievich (1917–2005),[F] he was arrested in 1941 along with his father, for anti-Soviet activities,[8] and in 1949 he was behind bars but was later released,[4] and Andrei Evgenievich (1928–1995), also an Orientalist,[13][G] who after his father's death, published Bertels' "Selected Writings" (Izbrannye trudy).[14][H]
Bertels started his career by partial translations of Persian Classical Literature into Russian his first published work was a selected translation of Sadi's Gulistan in 1922,[15] in 1923 selected translation of the works of Attar's Bulbul-nama and Nizami Ganjavi's Haft Peykar, latter translated parts of Nasir Khusraw's Safarnama, and a complete translation of Sanai's Sayr al-‛Ibād Ilā’l-Ma‛ād, among many other translations.[16] Bertels was one of the authors of the first edition of Encyclopaedia of Islam (1913–1938), and wrote many articles on Islamic literature and culture in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.[17] From 1923 through 1929 Bertels published twenty-seven articles in the field of Sufi studies (republished in the III volume of his "Selected Writings"),[18] his works on Sufism are regarded as classics in the studies of Sufism in Russia, although, he is not among the greats like Hellmut Ritter, Louis MassignonorHenry Corbin.[19]
Ferdowsi Millenary Congress, Tehran 1934. From right to left, Second row (seated), 5th person is Bertels.[20]
In 1934, on the occasion of the Ferdowsi Millennial Celebration, held in Persia, the Soviet Union sent the largest delegation,[21] Bertels delivered a lecture in Persian,[22]onYazdan (i.e., God, or a divine entity) and Ahriman (i.e., Satan, or a demonic entity) in Shahnameh.[23][I] In 1935, he wrote a small popular monograph on Ferdowsi (Abu-l-Kasim Ferdovsi i Ego Tvorchestovo; "Firdowsi and His Poetry"),[4] translated into Persian by S. Izadi.[24][J] His monograph on Nizami was published originally as articles, and treatises, between 1939 and 1956, and in its entirety five years after Bertels' death,[25][K] his last visit to Persia was on the occasion of Avicenna Millenary Congress, 21–30 April 1954.[26] Bertels' chief achievements was introducing Persian classics to Russian readers, the editor's preface to the first volume of Bertels' Selected Writings states: "Bertels literally lived by the creations of the luminaries of Persian poetry, and over 150 of his 295 works were related to Persian literatureorlanguage."[27]
Bertel's preparation of a new critical edition of Nizami's Panj Ganj, and his critical edition of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh, must also be mentioned. Bertels and a group of collaborators began preparing a critical edition of Nizami's works in 1941, a critical text of the Iskandarnameh was published in 1947 in two parts: Sharafnameh, for which Berthels and A.A. Alizada were awarded the State Stalin Prize,[28] and Eqbalnameh; no other critical text was published during Bertels' lifetime.[29] His critical edition of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh had the same faith, he edited two volumes, both published after his death in 1960 and 1962, the whole nine-volume edition was completed in 1971 under the editorship of Abdolhossein Noushin,[30] and became the standard edition of Shahnameh, prior to Djalal Khaleghi-Motlagh edition (1990–2008).[31][L]
After his death, his son Andrei provided his father's papers for publication,[14] and a group of Bertels' former colleagues and students edited and organized Bertels' Selected Writings (Izbrannye trudy), it was supposed to be published in VI volumes,[4] but ended in V volumes, as follows: [I] Istoriya persidsko-tadzhikskoĭ literatury (History of Persian–Tajik Literature),[M] this volume was translated into Persian by S. Izadi, in two parts.[N] [II] Nizami i Fuzuli (OnNizami and Fuzuli), [III] Sufizm i sifiĭskaya literatura (Sufism and Sufi Literature), was also translated into Persian by S. Izadi.[32] [IV] Navoi i Dzhami (OnNavai and Jami). [V] Istoriya literatury i kultury Irana (History of Persian Literature and Culture). Volumes I-IV appeared in 1960–1965,[4] volume V, published 1988. Bertels was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor in 1945,[33] the Order of Lenin, and a medal.[1]
^"In 1918, after the Revolution, Lenin raised the question of calendar reform and, after an investigation of the subject, published a decree directing the adoption of the Gregorian style "for the purpose of being in harmony with all the civilized countries of the world" → Achelis, Elisabeth (1954). "Russia's Difficulties". Home Page for Calendar Reform. Rick McCarty. Retrieved 2 May 2023. Therefore, some sources give Bertels's day of birth as the 13th of December, according to Julian calendar.
^The variant of his first name, that one finds on the internet, is either due to literate pronunciation, or different languages and dialects, e.g.: Eugene (Ukrainian), Evgeny (Kazakhian), Yevgani (Persian), Yevgeni (Azerbaijanian), Yevgeniy (Armenian) ... etc.; the preference of his name—given above, is based on Romanization of his name, Osmanov 1970–1979 and Zand 1989.
^A brief biography of Azade Rustamova, is on the "Azerbaijan National Academy of Science" webpage.
^There is no official record of the date of their marriage, but their first son was born in 1917.
^A brief bio–bibliographical note on Dmitrii, in Russian, is available at orientalstudies.ru.
^One of his works, Nasir Khusraw and Ismailism (Nasir-i Khosrov i Ismailizm), was translated into Persian → Bertels, A.Y. (1968). Nasir Khusraw va Esmailiyan (ناصر خسرو و اسماعیلیان). Translated by Yahya Aryanpour. Tehran: Bonyade Farhange Iran. : at CiNii, this book is incorrectly listed among E.E. Bertels works.
^Under a photograph of Bertels' gravestone, at novodevichiynecropol, the name and date of the birth and death of his wife and son—Andrei, who are buried alongside him—is written.
^Sahab personally attended Bertels' lecture, according to him, Bertels spoke Persian well, clearly, and fluently.
^Izadi, Sirus (1990). Ferdowsi va Surudehayash (فردوسی و سروده هایش). Tehran: Entesharate Hirmand.
^Part I: Izadi, Sirus (1995). Tarikh Adabiyate Farsi (تاریخ ادبیات فارسی / History of Persian Literature). Tehran: Entesharate Hirmand. ISBN964-5521-50-5.; Part II: Izadi, Sirus (1996). Tarikh Adabiyate Farsi: Az Doran Ferdowsi Ta Ahde Saljuqian (تاریخ ادبیات فارسی: از دوران فردوسی تا عهد سلجوقیان / History of Persian Literature: From Ferdowsi's Time till Seljuk Era). Tehran: Entesharate Hirmand.
Izadi, Sirus (1977). Tasawwuf Va Adabiyat Tasawwuf (Sufism and Sufi Literature/Sufizm i sifiĭskaya literatura) (in Persian). Tehran: Entesharate Amir Kabir.
Meshkin-nedjad, Parviz, ed. (2003). Orientalists: Iranists and Islamists, Their Bibliography and Biography (in Persian). Vol. II. Tehran: Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies. pp. 201b–216a. ISBN964-426-193-3.