Hovhannes Tumanyan

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Hovhannes Tumanyan
Հովհաննես Թումանյան.jpg
Tumanyan in 1915
Born (1869-02-19)February 19, 1869
Dsegh, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire
(now Lori Province, Armenia)
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Moscow, Soviet Union
Resting place Armenian Pantheon of Tbilisi
Occupation poet, novelist, public activist
Nationality Armenian
Period 1881–1923
Literary movement Realism
Spouse Olga Tumanyan (née Matchkalyan)
Children 10
Signature File:Tumanyan siganture.jpg

Hovhannes Tumanyan (Armenian: Հովհաննես Թումանյան) (February 19 [O.S. February 7] 1869 – March 23, 1923) was an Armenian writer and public activist. He is considered to be the national poet of Armenia.[1]

Tumanyan wrote poems, quatrains, ballads, novels, fables, critical and journalistic articles.[2] His work was mostly written in realistic form, often centering on everyday life of his time.[1] Born in the historical village of Dsegh in the Lori region, at a young age Tumanyan moved to Tiflis, which was the center of Armenian culture under the Russian Empire during the 19th and early 20th centuries.[3] He soon became known to the wide Armenian society for his simple but very poetic works.

Many films and animated films have been adapted from Tumanyan's works. Two operas: Anush (1912) by Armen Tigranian and Almast (1930) by Alexander Spendiaryan, were written based on his works.

Biography

File:Tumanyan parents.jpg
Tumanyan's parents
File:Vernatun.jpg
Vernatun members in 1903. Isahakyan, Aghayan, Tumanyan (sitting) and Shant, Demirchian (standing).
File:Tumanyan Family.jpg
The Tumanyan family
File:Tbilisi Tumanyan house.jpg
The house where Tumanyan lived in Tiflis

Hovhannes Tumanyan was born on February 19, 1869 in the village of Dsegh, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire (now in Lori Province, Armenia).[2]

His father, Aslan (1839–1898), was the village priest known by the name Ter-Tadevos. He was an offspring of an Armenian princely family of Tumanyan, branch of the famous royal house of Mamikonian that settled in Lori in 10th–11th centuries from their original feudal fief of Taron.

His mother, Sona (1842–1936), an avid storyteller with a particular interest in fables. Young Tumanyan was the oldest of eight children; his siblings were Rostom (1871–1915), Osan (1874–1926), Iskuhi (1878–1943), Vahan (1881–1937), Astghik (1885–1953), Arshavir (1888–1921), Artashes (1892–1916).[4]

From 1877–1879, Tumanyan attended the parochial school of Dsegh. From 1879–1883 he went to a school in Jalaloghly.[5] Tumanyan moved to Tiflis in 1883, where he attended the Nersisyan School from 1883–1887.[2] Tumanyan's wrote his first poem at the age of 12, while studying in Jalaloghly school. He lived at the teacher's house for a while and was in love with teacher's daughter Vergine.[5] Since 1893, Tumanyan worked for Aghbyur, Murtch, Hasker and Horizon periodicals and also was engaged in public activism.[2]

In 1899, Tumanyan came up with an idea of organizing meetings of Armenian intellectuals of the time at his house on 44 Bebutov Street in Tiflis (present-day Amaghleba 18, in Sololaki). Soon it became an influential literary group, which often gathered in the garret of Tumanyan's house. Vernatun means garret in Armenian, which was the name the group was referred to. Prominent members of the collective were Avetik Isahakyan, Derenik Demirchyan, Levon Shant, Ghazaros Aghayan, Perch Proshyan, Nikol Aghbalian, Alexander Shirvanzade, Nar-Dos, Vrtanes Papazyan, Vahan Terian, Leo, Stepan Lisitsyan, Mariam Tumanyan, Gevorg Bashinjagyan and many other significant Armenian figures of early 20th century. With some pauses, it existed until 1908.[2]

In 1912 Tumanyan was elected the president of the Company of Caucasus Armenian Writers.[2]

In the fall of 1921, Tumanyan went to Constantinople to find support of Armenian refugees. After months spent there, he returned ill. After surgery in 1922, he started to get better. But in September, Tumanyan's disease started to progress again. He was transferred to a hospital in Moscow, where he died on March 23, 1923.[6]

Personal life

In 1888, at the age of 19, Hovhannes Tumanyan got married to Olga Matchkalyan, 17.[7] They had 10 children: Musegh (1889–1938), Ashkhen (1891–1968), Nvard (1892–1957), Artavazd (1894–1918), Hamlik (1896–1937), Anush (1898–1927), Arpik (1899–1981), Areg (1900–1939), Seda (1905–1988), Tamar (1907–1989).[8]

Political and public activism

During the government-provoked Armenian–Tatar massacres of 1905–1907, Tumanyan took the role of a peacemaker, for which he was arrested twice.[2] Tumanyan also deeply criticized the Georgian–Armenian War of 1918.[2] Tumanyan was also actively engaged in preaching the Gospel. As he put in one of his verses " There is only one way of salvation; through Jesus Christ abiding inside every one of us".

In October 1914 Tumanyan joined the "Committee for Support of War Victims", which later helped Armenian Genocide refugees settled in Etchmiadzin.[9]

Literary work

Works of Hovhannes Tumanyan at the Armenian Wikisource

Tumanyan's word is simple, natural and poetically inspired at the same time. It is not by mere chance that dozens of phrases and expressions from Tumanyan's works have become a natural part of people's everyday language, their sayings, adages, and maxims.[1]

Tumanyan is usually regarded in Armenian circles as "All-Armenian poet". He earned this title when the Catholicos of Armenia had ordered that Armenian refugees from the west not enter certain areas of his church and house, since he is considered to be "The Catholicos of all Armenians". Tumanyan in response decried that decision claiming that the refugees could seek relief in the Catholicos' quarters under order of "The Poet of all Armenians".

He created lyrics, fables, epic poems and translations into Armenian of Byron, Goethe and Pushkin.[10]

Tumanyan's most famous works include:

Legacy

Tombstone of Tumanyan in the Armenian Pantheon of Tbilisi.

The following were named after Tumanyan's honor:[2]

File:Hovhannes Tumanyan House Museum in Dsegh.JPG
Tumanyan's House Museum in Dsegh
In Armenia
  • Tumanyan's native village of Dsegh was renamed Tumanyan in his honor from 1938–1969.[11]
  • In 1951, the village of Dzagidzor of Lori Province was renamed Tumanyan
  • Pedagogical University of Vanadzor
  • Armenian State Puppet Theater in Yerevan
  • Tumanyan St. in central Yerevan
  • Tumanyan Park in Yerevan's Ajapnyak district
Outside of Armenia

There are 2 museums of Tumanyan in Armenia, one in his birthplace Dsegh and another one in Yerevan.[2] Tumanyan's museum in Yerevan was opened in 1953.[12]

In Autumn of 2011 the government of Armenia purchased the house of Tumanyan in Tbilisi from its Georgian owner. The keys of that house are currently kept at the Writers Union of Armenia. A museum will presumably established in this house.

In popular culture

Opera

The following films were adapted from Hovhannes Tumanyan's works.

Post stamps, banknotes and coins

  • The Soviet Union 1969 CPA 3787 stamp (Hovhannes Tumanyan).jpg

    Soviet post stamp, 1969

  • Tumanyan coin.jpg

    Tumanyan memorial coin, 1994

  • Obverse side of the 5,000 Armenian dram, 1998

  • Tumanyan russian stamp.jpg

    Russian post stamp, 2011

  • Tumnanyan armenian stamp.jpg

    Armenian post stamp, 2011

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Hovannes Tumanian – Great Armenian popular poet, native of Lori.
  11. ↑ Kiesling, Rediscoving Armenia, p. 67, available online at the US embassy to Armenia's website
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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