Hovhannes Hovhannisyan (; – 29 September 1929) was an Armenian poet, translator and educator. While he was not very prolific, his melancholic poetry has been praised for its lyrical quality and form and was influential for subsequent Armenian poets.

Biography

Hovhannisyan was born on into a tailor's family in

Vagharshapat Vagharshapat ( ) is the List of cities and towns in Armenia, 5th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border ...

(Etchmiadzin), then within the

Erivan Governorate The Erivan Governorate was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its centеr in Erivan (present-day Yerevan). Its area was 27,830 sq. kilometеrs, roughly corresponding to what is now most of central ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. He attended parochial school in his hometown, then the progymnasium in Yerevan before studying in Moscow at the Lazaryan Language Institute (1877–83) and the historical-philological faculty of the

Imperial Moscow University Imperial Moscow University () was one of the oldest universities of the Russian Empire, established in 1755. It was the first of the twelve imperial universities of the Russian Empire. Its legacy is continued as Lomonosov Moscow State Universit ...

(1884–88). In 1889, he traveled around Europe and visited various cities, including Constantinople, London, Paris and Vienna. Hovhannisyan returned to Vagharshapat and began his teaching career at the

Gevorkian Seminary Gevorkian Theological Seminary ( ''Gevorkyan Hogevor Č̣emaran''), also known as Gevorkian Seminary ( ''Gevorkyan Č̣emaran'', ), is a theological university-institute of the Armenian Apostolic Church opened in 1874. It is located in the town o ...

, where he taught Russian language and literature, general literature, and Greek. He taught there until 1912. One of his students was the future author

Derenik Demirchian Derenik Karapeti Demirchian (; , 1877 – December 6, 1956) was a Soviet and Armenian writer, novelist, poet, translator and playwright. He began his career as a poet, but later transitioned into prose writing. He was a prolific writer whose works ...

, whose views on literature Hovhannisyan is said to have influenced. In 1912, Hovhannisyan briefly worked in Baku. He was a supporter of the 1917

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

and the creation of the Soviet Union. In 1918, during the days of the revolutionary

Baku Commune Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

, he served in its department of education. He headed the branch of the People's Commissariat for Education in the district of Vagharshapat. In 1922, he worked in legislative committee of the

Council of People's Commissars The Council of People's Commissars (CPC) (), commonly known as the ''Sovnarkom'' (), were the highest executive (government), executive authorities of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), the Soviet Union (USSR), and the Sovi ...

of the

Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (ArSSR), also known as Soviet Armenia, or simply Armenia, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union, located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Soviet Armenia ...

. Hovhannisyan died in 1929 in Yerevan, aged 65. He was buried at the old Mler cemetery in the city, which was soon after developed into the

Komitas Pantheon __NOTOC__ Komitas Park and Pantheon () is located in Yerevan's Shengavit District, on the right side of the main Arshakunyats Avenue, in Armenia. It was formed in 1936 after the demolition of the "Mler" cemetery and its historic chapel. Many out ...

, the resting place of many of Armenia's most prominent cultural icons.

Works and evaluation

In 1883, Hovhannisyan published his first poem in the literary journal (Spring). He published his first collection of poetry in 1887, which gained him recognition. According to L. Asmarian, his volumes of poetry published 1908 and 1912 "secured his place in the history of Armenian poetry." While he was not very prolific, Hovhannisyan's melancholic poetry was influential for subsequent poets. Asmarian credits Hovhannisyan with the creation of a new school of Eastern Armenian poetry, followers of which included

Hovhannes Tumanyan Hovhannes Tumanyan (, classical spelling: Յովհաննէս Թումանեան, – March 23, 1923) was an Armenian poet, writer, translator, and literary and public activist. He is the national poet of Armenia. Tumanyan wrote poems, q ...

and

Avetik Isahakyan Avetik Sahaki Isahakyan (; October 30, 1875 – October 17, 1957) was an Armenian lyric poet, writer and public activist. Biography Isahakyan was born in Alexandropol (present-day Gyumri, Armenia) in 1875. He was educated at the Gevorgian S ...

, among others. Kevork Bardakjian writes that the "wistful, impersonal yearning" of Hovhannisyan's poetry "captured the mood of the age." He contrasts Hovhannisyan's style with that of the patriotic poetry of his teacher

Smbat Shahaziz Smbat Shahaziz (, 1840 in Ashtarak, Armenia – January 5, 1908 in Moscow, Russia) was an Armenian educator, poet and publicist. Biography Born in a family of a priest, he was the youngest of six brothers. He was home schooled until the age 10 ...

and

Raphael Patkanian Raphael Patkanian (, – ), also known by the penname Gamar Katipa (), was a nineteenth-century Russian Armenian writer and educator. He was born into a noted family of Armenian intellectuals in Nakhichevan-on-Don and began writing in his stude ...

. Bardakjian praises Hovhannisyan for his "gentle, lyrical verse," his diction, and his attention to form, the last of which earlier authors had neglected and which later poets further developed. The subjects of Hovhannisyan's poetry include love and nature, as well as tragedy and the hard life of Armenia's peasantry. His love poems, such as "" (It's no use, my soul, it's no use, my angel) and "" (I would like to be a babbling stream) emphasize the connection between man and nature. According to Asmarian, Hovhannisyan was the first Armenian poet to realistically depict the "inner contradictions of village life." In some of his poems he drew from elements of folk poetry. His patriotic poetry was first in the tradition of

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

, then shifted to

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

. He encouraged Armenians not to give in to despair, despite their difficult situation. Hovhannisyan also translated works from classic and contemporary writers, such as

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...

Mikhail Lermontov Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov ( , ; rus, Михаи́л Ю́рьевич Ле́рмонтов, , mʲɪxɐˈil ˈjʉrʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲerməntəf, links=yes; – ) was a Russian Romanticism, Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called ...

Nikolay Nekrasov Nikolay Alexeyevich Nekrasov ( rus, Никола́й Алексе́евич Некра́сов, p=nʲɪkɐˈlaj ɐlʲɪkˈsʲejɪvʲɪtɕ nʲɪˈkrasəf, a=Ru-Nikolay_Alexeyevich_Nekrasov.ogg, – ) was a Russian poet, writer, critic and publ ...

Heinrich Heine Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (; ; born Harry Heine; 13 December 1797 – 17 February 1856) was an outstanding poet, writer, and literary criticism, literary critic of 19th-century German Romanticism. He is best known outside Germany for his ...

Sándor Petőfi Sándor Petőfi ( []; né Petrovics; ; ; 1 January 1823 – most likely 31 July 1849) was a Hungarian poet and Classical Liberalism, liberal revolutionary. He is considered Hungary's national poet, and was one of the key figures of the Hungari ...

Ludwig Uhland Johann Ludwig Uhland (26 April 1787 – 13 November 1862) was a German poet, philologist, literary historian, lawyer and politician. Biography He was born in Tübingen, Württemberg, and studied jurisprudence at the university there, b ...

and others. In Asmarian's view, his translations of Władysław Syrokomla's "" (Illiterate) and Uhland's "" (The singer's curse) stand on their own as literary works. The mood of Hovhannisyan's poetry has been compared to that of the Russian poet

Semyon Nadson Semyon Yakovlevich Nadson (; 14 December 1862 – 19 January 1887) was a Russian poet and essayist. He is noted for being the first Jewish poet to achieve national fame in the Russian Empire. Biography Nadson's father was a Jew who converted to ...

. Hovhannisyan's collected works were published in four volumes in Armenia from 1964 to 1968. His works have been translated into English, French, German, and Russian.

Selected poems

* "" («», Oh, give me a sweet sleep), 1884 * "" («», It's no use, my soul, it's no use, my angel), 1885 * "" («», I would like to be a babbling stream), 1888 * "" («», Two paths), 1883 * "" («», Farewell, sun, spring), 1887 * "" («»), 1887 * "" («», The village church service), 1886 * "" («», Grain), 1886 * "" («», The Aras came crashing), 1887 (translated into English by Zabelle C. Boyajian as "Araxes Came Devouringly") * "" («», On the high mountain of Alagyaz), 1901 * "" («», Have you seen those hills?), 1880 (English version by

Alice Stone Blackwell Alice Stone Blackwell (September 14, 1857 – March 15, 1950) was an American feminist, suffragist, journalist, radical socialist, and human rights advocate. Early life and education Blackwell was born in East Orange, New Jersey to Henry Browne ...

titled "Hast Thou Seen My Country?") * "" («», My mother), 1896 * "" («», Swamp), 1887 * "" («», New spring), 1897 (English translations by Alice Stone Blackwell and Zabelle C. Boyajian) * "" («», Up the mountain), 1896 * "" («», The prince of Syunik), 1887 * "" («»), 1887 * "" («», The birth of Vahagn), 1904 * "" («», The lamp of the Illuminator), 1904

Legacy

In 1948, the Hovhannes Hovhannisyan House-Museum was established. It is located in central Vagharshapat, near the Holy Mother of God Cathedral and the mayor's office. In 2009, it was reported that the museum was in a dilapidated state, but that the mayor's office of Vagharshapat intended to see it repaired.

Notes

References

External links

English translations of Hovhannisyan's work
on ArmenianHouse.org * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hovhannisyan, Hovhannes 1864 births 1929 deaths 19th-century Armenian poets Linguists from Armenia People from Vagharshapat 19th-century Armenian writers 20th-century Armenian writers Armenian translators Burials at the Komitas Pantheon Moscow State University alumni Armenian male poets 19th-century Armenian male writers 20th-century Armenian male writers 19th-century translators Armenian people from the Russian Empire Poets from the Russian Empire