- Arpiar Arpiarian
Arpiar Arpiarian ( _hy. Արփիար Արփիարյան) (1852-1908) was an influential 19th century
Armenia nwriter , thepioneer ofrealism inArmenian literature and apolitical activist .Early life and education
Arpiar Arpiarian was born in 1852 aboard a ship as his parents, who were originally from Akn (an Armenian town on shore of the
Euphrates prior to theArmenian Genocide ), were traveling fromSamsun to Constantinople. The family settled in the suburb of Ortakiugh (Ortaköy ) where Arpiar attended the Tarkmanchats (Թարգմանչաց) Armenian school.hy icon cite book |first = | last = | title = Արդի Հայ Գրականություն | publisher = | pages = p. 29 | year = 2007 | id =] In 1867, he was sent toVenice to attend the Murat-Raphaelian (Մուրատ-Ռափայէլեան) school. At Murat-Raphaelian, he studiedArmenian language and history under the tutelage ofGhevond Alishan . He also became familiarized with French andItalian literature . He graduated from the school and returned to Constantinople where he was offered a secretarial position at the Armenian Patriarchate. During this time, he also worked as an accountant. However, Arpiarian's true calling was journalism and literature.cite book |first = Agop Jack, Gabriel, Edward S. | last = Hacikyan, Basmadjian, Franchuk | title = The Heritage of Armenian Literature: From the Eighteenth Century to Modern Times | publisher = Wayne State UniversityPress | pages = p. 452 | year = 2005 | id = ISBN 0814332218]Work in newspapers and visit to Tiflis
His first works in literature started in
Grigor Artsruni 's "Mshak" (Մշակ) newspaper, which was published inTiflis . He would write articles under the pen name "Haygag" (Հայկակ) about various aspects of Armenian life in Constantinople, all of which were flavored with satire. By 1878, he had already become a regular contributor to dailies and periodicals, mainly in "Masis", of which he was an editor (1884-1893) alongside famed Armenian writer and politicianKrikor Zohrab . His articles become very popular among Caucasian Armenians. In 1884, he visited Tiflis on the occasion of the election of a newCatholicos inEchmiadzin where he was received as a renowned writer. There, he had the occasion to meetEastern Armenian authorsRaffi ,Proshian , Aghayan and others.Upon his return to Constantinople with new impressions and information, he wrote a series of articles entitled "Ughevorutiun i Kavkasia" (Ուղեւորութիւն ի Կովկասիա, Travels in the Caucasus). Alongside other intellectuals, he launched a new daily called "Arevelk" (Արեւելք, Orient) with the aim of promoting closer relations between Eastern and
Western Armenian s in 1884. "Arevelk", which was a literary and political newspaper with democratic tendencies, attracted a number of young writers who would form the core of the school of realism. The paper was published uninterrupted until 1915.Political activism
Along with being a writer, Arpiar Arpiarian was a political activist and revolutionary who supported reforms in the Ottoman Empire in light of Sultan
Abdul Hamid II 's treatment of the Armenian population. In 1889, Arpiarian joined theSocial Democrat Hunchakian Party and founded the Ararat Society with a group of youths to spread education in the Ottoman provinces. In 1890, he participated in theKum Kapu demonstration and was arrested as a revolutionary with a number of other Hunchakians and jailed for two months. He was released in a general amnesty. In 1891, he founded and became editor of the daily "Hayrenik" (Հայրենիք, Fatherland) with his friend,Hovhannes Shahnazarian . This paper was suppressed by the sultan for its democratic ideas.Escape from Hamidian massacres
In 1896, the
Hamidian massacres began and in order to escape the fate of other Armenians, he fled Constantinople toLondon . In London, he attempted to publish two monthly reviews, Mart (Մարտ, Battle) and Nor Kyank (Նոր Կեանք, New life) in whichLevon Pashalian would contribute, both papers being sponsored by the Hunchakians. At this time, the political party would split. Arpiarian reorganized one of the factions, Veragazmial Hunchakianner, into a viable entity but would eventually leave the party. With this decision, he ultimately created enemies from within his old entourage.Travel to Cairo and assassination
In 1901–1902, he traveled to
Paris and then Venice where he wrote his most successful work, the novella "Garmir Zhamuts" (Կարմիր Ժամուց, The crimson offering). In 1905, he traveled toCairo . In Cairo, he edited the literary monthly review "Shirag" (Շիրակ) and contributed in the local paper, "Lusaber" (Լուսաբեր, Lucifer: light-bearer).In 1908, his political enemies assassinated him while Arpiarian was returning home from the market. His last words were "Hye em" (I am Armenian).
Legacy and works
Arpiarian is considered the founder of realism in modern
Armenian literature , the leader of a literary movement without an established school. While many writers were intoromanticism at the time, he introduced a new trend that revolutionized Armenian literature. He gained the confidence of his readers by expressing his thoughts honestly and without shame. He was the mentor of an entire generation of Armenianrealist writers such asTigran Kamsarakan , Levon Pashalian andErukhan .Most of his literary work is written in short story form and deals with the working classes and social issues. Some of his better known stories are:
*"Hogu zavakuh" (Հոգու զավակ, The adopted child)
*"Voski aprjan" (Ոսկի ապրջան, The gold bracelet)
*"Yerazi muh ginuh" (Երազի մը գինը, The price of a dream)
*"Katak muh" (Կատակ մը, A joke)
*"Abushuh" (Ապուշը, The idiot)
*"Garmir Zhamutsuh" (Կարմիր ժամուցը, The crimson offering)References
ources
*Encyclopedia of world literature in the 20th century, by Leonard S. Klein, Steven Serafin, Walter D. Glanze, 1993, p. 120
*Concise Armenian Encyclopedia, Ed. by acad. K. Khudaverdyan,Yerevan , 1990, Vol. 1, p. 426.
*The Heritage of Armenian Literature: From The Eighteenth Century To Modern Times, by Agop J. Hacikyan, Gabriel Basmajian, Edward S. Franchuk, p. 452
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