Poloz Mukuch (real name Mkrtich Ghazarosi Melkonyan, 7 January 1881,

Alexandropol Gyumri (, ) is an urban municipal community and the List of cities and towns in Armenia, second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th centur ...

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- 15 February 1931,

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) was a popular Armenian satirist and fabulist from

Gyumri Gyumri (, ) is an urban municipal community and the List of cities and towns in Armenia, second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th centur ...

Biography

Mkrtich Melkonyan was born in the family of a blacksmith. Because of his height, Mukuch (a diminutive of Mkrtich) earned the nickname "Poloz" (a colloquial word meaning disproportionally tall). Instead of learning his father's trade, Mukuch, after receiving elementary education, became a "podratchi" (a street trader). He would park his cart at various city sites and, as he sold fruits and melons, he would tell endless witty jokes and funny stories, many of them based on real events, which made him very popular around Gyumri. Contemporaries say that he had a cheerful character, but during working hours his mind was on selling goods and satisfying his customers. He was a very witty man, he made jokes with a serious face without a smile while the people in front of him fainted from laughter. He was a schoolmate of the famous Armenian author

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 ...

. Many

fables Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that ...

and funny stories previously attributed to foreign fabulists, are associated with Poloz Mulkuch's name in Armenian circles. In this aspect Poloz Mukuch contributed to nationalization of Armenian verbal satire.

Legacy

As a charismatic person, he attracted the attention of a number of artists. His immense popularity was attested by the whole

population participating in his funeral in 1931.

erected a monument on his tomb, writing that: Another Armenian writer wrote a quatrain about this: Painter Hakob Ananikyan created a series of portraits, for which Poloz Mukuch served as a prototype. Poloz Mukuch served as a prototype for the protagonist in Khachik Dashtents's poem "Phaeton Alek". Poloz Mukuch's statue, made by Narek Samvelyan was opened in Gyumri Holy Savior Church yard in 2012. Poloz Mukuch Beerhouse, occupying an old mansion built in the 1860s, was opened in the 1960s in

Soviet Armenia 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 ...

in the historic district of Kumayri, named after Poloz Mukuch. The property was privatized in late 1990s, continuing to function as a beerhouse. A bust of ''Poloz Mukuch'' was placed at the entrance. Nowadays, the beerhouse is one of Gyumri's prominent landmarks. Armenian Centre of PR development is planning to reanimate Gyumri's Poloz Mukuch, along with Karabakh's

Pele Pughi Pele Pughi (; 1731 – 1810) was an 18th-century Armenians, Armenian satirist and fabulist from Karabakh. Biography Pele Pughi was born in 1731 in either Chanakhchi, Khojaly, Avetaranots or Shosh, Nagorno-Karabakh, Shosh in the Melikdom of ...

, in a new multi-language animated film series, taking the example of films about

Nasreddin Nasreddin () or Nasreddin Hodja (variants include Mullah Nasreddin Hodja, Nasruddin Hodja, Mullah Nasruddin, Mullah Nasriddin, Khoja Nasriddin, Khaja Nasruddin) (1208–1285) is a character commonly found in the folklores of the Muslim world, ...

Gallery

Sources

* Հրաչյա Իկիլիկյան, «Գյումրին, Պոլոզ Մուկուչը և երգիծական մանրապատումներ», Երևան, «Հայաստան» հրատ., 1989

References

Armenian satirists Armenian fabulists 1931 deaths 1881 births Gyumri {{Armenia-writer-stub

Biography

Legacy

Gallery

See also

Sources

References