Kurban Said is one of the names given to Lev Nussimbaum. He is a journalist, writer, and orientalist. He was born in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. He left Baku with his father following World War I on a long trip to Europe until they settled in Berlin. He was called in Germany Essad Bey. He published a number of books, including a biography of Stalin, a book about oil and blood in Azerbaijan, and two novels. His famous novels Ali and Nino and Girl from the Golden Horn, which he published under the name Kurban Saeed. He died in 1942 in Italy.