Vahan Totovents

Vahan Hovhannesi Totovents (1893 - 1938) was an Armenian writer, poet and public activist.

Biography

Vahan Totovents was born in Mezire, Western Armenia [ [http://slovari.yandex.ru/art.xml?art=bse/00079/99200.htm&encpage=bse&mrkp=http%3A//hghltd.yandex.net/yandbtm%3Furl%3Dhttp%253A//encycl.yandex.ru/texts/bse/00079/99200.htm%26text%3D%25FF%25B0%25EF%25B0%25FF%25B0%25EF%25B0%25EF%25B0%25EF%25B0%25EF%25A5%25FF%25B0%26%26isu%3D2 Totovents in Great Soviet Encyclopedia (in Russian)] ] (modern Turkey). He studied in Armenia and Istanbul, then at Wisconsin University which he finished in 1915.

He was a volunteer in Caucasian front during World War I, and served as the bodyguarder, translator and secretary of General Andranik Ozanian, about whom he wrote memoires and published them in 1920. In Tbilisi Totovents edited "Hayastan" paper, the official organ of Andranik.

Since 1922 he lived in Yerevan, Soviet Armenia. In 1938 he became a victim of Stalinism [ [http://www.memo.ru/history/vkvs/regions/rp3_1.htm The list of victims of stalinism (in Russian)] ] .

Works

The works of Totovents were published from 1907. He is the author of "Doctor Burbonian" (1918), "Death battalion" (1923), "New York" (1927), "Baku" (v. 1-3, 1930-34), "Jonathan, Son of Jeremiah" novels, stories and dramas. He influenced to Armenian literature especially by his "Life on the Old Roman Road" autobiographical novel (1930, "A piece of sky" [ [http://www.arm-cinema.am/Films/Features/1980.htm The Official list of films by Armenfilm] ] film by Henrik Malian) which "reflect the society, culture, and mores not only of the Armenians of his childhood but also of their neighbors in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire". [ [http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/books02.html A World of Books 2002: International Multiculturalism] ]

Books

"in English"

*Scenes from an Armenian Childhood, 1962, NY: Oxford University Press, 182 p.,
*Tell Me, Bella (a Selection of Stories), 1972, 127 p., ISBN: 0903039060,
*Jonathan, Son of Jeremiah (Mashtots paperbacks), 1985, 68 p., ISBN: 0903039168,
*Pigeon Fancier, 1994, 66 p., ISBN: 0903039184.

"in French"

*Une enfance arménienne, Julliard, 1985, 194 p., ISBN: 2260004016.

Links

* [http://www.crda-france.org/fr/6histoire/a_d/20_totovents.htm Vahan Totovents (1893-1938)] Présentation de ses mémoires sur le Général Antranik (in French)
* [http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books-uk&field-author=Vahan%20Totovents Totovents at Amazon.com]

References