Khachatur Abovian
Khachatur Abovian | |
---|---|
Born | 15 October 1809 Kanaker, Erivan Khanate, Qajar Iran (modern-day Yerevan, Armenia) |
Died | 14 April 1848 (disappeared, presumed dead) |
Occupation | novelist, playwright, teacher, poet |
Language | Armenian |
Nationality | Armenian |
Period | Romanticism |
Spouse | Emilia Looze (m. 1839) |
Children | 2 |
Khachatur Abovian (Armenian: Խաչատուր Աբովյան, romanized: Khach’atur Abovyan;[1][2] October 15 [O.S. October 3] 1809 – April 14 [O.S. April 2] 1848 (disappeared)) was an Armenian polymath, educator, scientist, philosopher, writer, poet and an advocate of modernization.[3] He mysteriously vanished in 1848 and was eventually presumed dead. Reputed as the father of modern Armenian literature, he is best remembered for his novel Wounds of Armenia.[4] Written in 1841 and published posthumously in 1858, it was the first novel published in the Modern Armenian language, based on the Yerevan dialect instead of Classical Armenian.[3]
Abovian was far ahead of his time and virtually none of his works were published during his lifetime. Only after the establishment of the
Early life and career
Abovian was born in 1809 in the village of
At age 10, Abovian was taken by his father to
Conquest of Ararat
The turning point in Abovian's life was the arrival of Friedrich Parrot in Armenia in September 1829, a professor of physics from the University of Dorpat in Livonia (in present-day Tartu, Estonia). Parrot traveled to Armenia to climb Mount Ararat to conduct geological studies and required a local guide and a translator for the expedition. The Catholicos assigned Abovian to these tasks.[9] With Abovian's assistance, Parrot became the first explorer in modern times to reach the summit of Mount Ararat. The project received full approval from the emperor Nicholas I, who provided the expedition with a military escort.[13]
Abovian and Parrot crossed the
Six days later, on the advice of Stepan Khojiants, the village chief of Akhuri, the ascent was attempted from the northwest side. After reaching an elevation of 16,028 feet (4,885 m), they turned back because they did not reach the summit before sundown. They reached the summit on their third attempt at 3:15 p.m. on 9 October 1829.
The Dorpat years
Impressed with Abovian's thirst for knowledge, Parrot arranged for a Russian state scholarship for Abovian to study at the
Return to Armenia
In 1836 he returned home anxious to embark on a mission of enlightenment.
In the summer of the same year, Abovian was visited by two German travellers. A
In August, Abovian escorted the German Baron August von Haxthausen around the province.[25] They visited the Abovian family home in Kanaker and attended a service at the Blue Mosque.[26] They also visited a Yazidi encampment where they met the chief Timur Aga and exchanged pleasantries with a rider from Count Paskevich's guard. He became a trusted friend of the Yazidi community in Armenia, and when the chief returned with lavish gifts from a banquet in Tiflis organised by the viceroy of the Caucasus Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov in 1844, he organised a tribal feast and Abovian was invited to attend.[24] In 1845 he applied for a position at the Catholicate of Echmiadzin but was not accepted.[22] The following year, he became a contributor to Vorontsov's weekly newspaper, Kavkaz, for which Abovian wrote three articles.[12]
Disappearance
On 14 April 1848, Abovian left his home for an early morning walk, and was never seen again; his disappearance remains unresolved.[22] His wife Emilia did not report him missing for a month.[4] Their children, Vardan (1840–1896) and Zarmandukht (later known as Adelaide; 1843–1909), were ages eight and five, respectively, at the time of the disappearance.[4][6]
Numerous theories have been proposed attempting to explain his disappearance: that he committed suicide, was murdered by his Persian or Turkish enemies, or arrested and exiled to
Writings
Abovian wrote novels, stories, descriptions, plays, scientific and artistic compositions, verses and fables. He was the first Armenian writer to compose literature for children.[28]
Wounds of Armenia
The historical novel
Abovian saw in strengthening of the friendship of Russian and Armenian peoples a guarantee of the national, political and cultural revival of his native lands.[30] However, when Abovian wrote the novel he was already disillusioned with Tsarist policies in Armenia, particularly with the implementation of Polozhenie (Statute) in 1836 which greatly reduced the political power of the Armenian Catholicos and the abolishment of the Armenian Oblast in 1840.[30] In the novel, elements of romanticism and realism are interlaced while the narration is supplanted by lyrical retreats.[28]
Other works
Abovian's poetry was filled with satire best expressed in The Wine Jug, in which he criticised Russian bureaucracy. Leisure Entertainment was adapted by Abovian from notes he took in public gatherings. The work is a collection of fables in verse that chastise vice, injustice and moral degeneration.
Legacy
Abovian's life is well remembered in Armenia. During the years in which Armenia was under Soviet rule, his pro-Russia stance was emphasized.[32] Kevork Bardakjian argues that, while there is much reason for praise of Abovian, his veneration "was carried to extremes, especially during the Soviet years, leaving many worthy contemporaries in the shadow of the chosen 'fathers' or 'masters.'" Abovian's work had little influence on Western Armenian literature, particularly in its formative years. Bardakjian also suggests that the extent of the influence of Abovian's work, much of which was published decades after his death, is still open to debate.[7] Bardakjian writes that Abovian cannot be regarded as the father of modern Armenian literature,[33] but that he merits recognition as the founder of modern Eastern Armenian literature for his novel Wounds of Armenia.[7]
Abovian was influenced by the progressive pedagogical views of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. Ara Baliozian wrote:[34]
[Abovian] believed that every person, even the lowest, has inherent powers capable of development. These liberal views, together with his persistent efforts to reform the education system, alienated him from the Armenian establishment—the clergy and the wealthy merchants: an alliance that has always been on the side of reaction rather than progress. As a result, he may have committed suicide, or, as a thinker impossible to muzzle, he may have been secretly assassinated by agents of the Czar.
Schools, streets, boulevards and parks were named after him.[32] The village of Elar, located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northeast of Yerevan, was named after him in 1961. Two years later, as the village's population grew larger, Abovyan was accorded with city status. His home in Kanaker was turned into a house-museum in 1939, and many of his original writings are preserved there. The work Abovian accomplished in the field of education was remembered. Yerevan's State Pedagogical Institute was named after him. On 28 February 1964, a medal was named in his honour (Abovyani anvan medal) which was awarded to schoolteachers who showed exceptional abilities in teaching and education.[35]
Portrait
Abovian's portrait is one of the most exceptional exhibits of the
Statues
Two prominent statues of Abovian stand in Yerevan. The concept of the first statue dates back to 1908 when a number of Armenian intellectuals in
Film
Between 1948 and 1984, five documentary films were produced in the Armenian SSR about the life and work of Abovian.[41] In 2011, the documentary film Journey to Ararat on Parrot and Abovian's expedition to Mount Ararat was produced in Estonia by filmmaker Riho Västrik.[42][43] It was screened at the Golden Apricot International Film Festival in Yerevan in 2013.[44]
See also
- List of people who disappeared
Selected bibliography
Prose
Novels
Non-fiction
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Other
Stories
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Poetry
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Fables
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Notes
- ^ "The history of the foundation of Khachatur Abovyan's house-museum". Khachatur Abovyan's house-museum. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- ^ Traditional Armenian orthography: Խաչատուր Աբովեան
- ^ a b Panossian, p. 143.
- ^ a b c d Bedevian, Ruth (December 8, 2004). "Writer and Patriot: Khachatur Abovyan (sic)". Retrieved July 13, 2008.
- ^ Hacikyan et al., p. 214.
- ^ Revue des études Arméniennes. NS: XIV, 1980, pp. 459–468.
- ^ a b c Bardakjian, p. 135.
- ^ Nalbandian, p. 61.
- ^ a b c d Hacikyan et al., p. 211.
- ^ Haxthausen, pp. 153–155.
- ^ Abov, p. 28.
- ^ a b Khachaturian, p. 29.
- ^ Parrot, p. x.
- ^ Parrot, p. 103.
- ^ The Armenian Weekly. 71 (52). Archived from the originalon September 8, 2009.
- ^ Parrot, p. 139.
- ^ Parrot, pp. 141–142.
- ^ Bardakjian, p. 255.
- ^ Khachaturian, p. 52.
- ^ Panossian, p. 144.
- ^ Abov, p. 48.
- ^ a b c d e Hacikyan et al., p. 212.
- S2CID 162804870.
- ^ a b Guest, p. 188.
- ^ Haxthausen, pp. xvii-xx.
- ^ Haxthausen, pp. 147–172 and pp. 187–191.
- ^ Melkonyan, O. (2003). Ուշագրավ վկայություն Խաչատուր Աբովյանի առեղծվածային անհայտացման մասին [Remarkable testimony regarding the mysterious disappearance of Khachatur Abovyan)]. Կրթություն [Education] (in Armenian). Vol. 7 (116).
- ^ a b c d e f g "Абовян Хачатур (Abovian Khachatur)". "Большая Советская Энциклопедия" (Great Soviet Encyclopedia), 3rd edition (in Russian). Retrieved 2008-07-14.
- ^ Hacikyan et al., p. 213.
- ^ a b Bardakjian, p. 137.
- ^ Bardakjian, p. 136.
- ^ Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1974, pp. 32–35.
- ^ Bardakjian, p. 108
- ^ Baliozian, Ara (1980). The Armenians: Their History and Culture. New York: AGBU Ararat Press. p. 60.
- ^ (in Armenian) Anon. «Աբովյանի Տուն-թանգարան» (Abovyan's House-Museum). Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia. vol. i. Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1974, p. 38.
- ^ Charents Museum of Literature and Arts Archived 2011-07-06 at archive.today
- ^ Original portrait of Abovian
- ^ Khanjyan, p. 35.
- ^ Khanjyan, pp. 36–37
- ^ Khanjyan, p. 39.
- ^ "Documentaries". Armenian Association of Film-Critics and Cinema- Journalists. Archived from the original on 2011-05-05. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
- ^ "Nights are long and dark". Looduskalender.ee. 29 March 2014. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ^ Ter-Sahakian, Karine (29 March 2014). "Armenian community of Estonia: A look into the future". PanARMENIAN.Net. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ^ "'Journey to Ararat' Documentary Film". Golden Apricot International Film Festival. July 2013. Archived from the original on 2017-08-04. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
References
- Abov, G.A. (1948). Khachatur Abovian: Life and work (in Russian). Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences.
- Bardakjian, Kevork B. (2000). A Reference Guide to Modern Armenian Literature, 1500–1920. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-2747-8.
- Guest, John S. (1987). The Yezidis: A Study in Survival. Routledge. ISBN 0-7103-0115-4.
- Hacikyan, Agop J.; Gabriel Basmajian; Edward S. Franchuk (October 30, 2005). The Heritage of Armenian Literature, Vol. 3: From The Eighteenth Century To Modern Times. Wayne State University Press. p. 1069. ISBN 0-8143-3221-8.
- Haxthausen, Baron August von (2016) [1854-55]. Transcaucasia and the Tribes of the Caucasus. Translated by John Edward Taylor. Introduction by Pietro A. Shakarian. Foreword by ISBN 978-1909382312.
- Khachaturian, Lisa (2009). Cultivating Nationhood in Imperial Russia: The Periodical Press and the Formation of a Modern Armenian Identity. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4128-0848-4.
- Khanjyan, Artush (2004). The Monuments of Yerevan. VMV-Print. ISBN 99941-920-1-9.
- Nalbandian, Louise Ziazan (1958). The Armenian Revolutionary Movement of the Nineteenth Century: the Origins and Development of Armenian Political Parties. Department of History, Stanford University.
- Panossian, Razmik (2006). The Armenians: From Kings And Priests to Merchants And Commissars. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-13926-8.
- Parrot, Friedrich (2016) [1846]. Journey to Ararat. Translated by ISBN 978-1909382244.
Further reading
- (in Armenian) Hakobyan P., S. Dulyan et al. "Abovyan, Khachatur", "Abovyan (city)", "Medal after Abovyan", "Abovyan House-Museum" in the Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1974, pp. 32–35, 38.
External links
- Media related to Khachatur Abovian at Wikimedia Commons
- (in Armenian) Khachatur Abovian's biography at AV Production
- Khachatur Abovian House-Museum