Khachatur Abovian
Encyclopedia
Khachatur Abovian was an Armenian
writer and national public figure of the early 19th century who mysteriously vanished in 1848 and was presumed dead. He was an educator, poet and an advocate of modernization. Considered as the father of modern Armenian literature
, he is best remembered for his novel Verk Hayastani (Wounds of Armenia), which set the trend in both style and genre for subsequent literature. Written in 1841 and published posthumously in 1858, it was the first novel published in the modern Armenian language
using the Eastern Armenian dialect instead of Classical Armenian.
Abovian was far ahead of his time and virtually none of his works was published during his lifetime. Only after the establishment of the Armenian SSR
was Abovian accorded the recognition and stature he merited. Abovian is regarded as one of the foremost figures not just in Armenian literature but Armenian history
at large. Abovian's influence on Western Armenian literature was not as strong as it was on Eastern Armenian, particularly in its formative years.
Abovian was born in 1809 in the village of Kanaker
, now a suburb of Yerevan
. Abovian's family were descendants of the Beglaryan melik
family in Gulistan, one of five Armenian families who ruled around the current day region of Nagorno-Karabakh
. The Abovian family held the position of tanuter
(hereditary lord) in Kanaker and Abovian's uncle was the last tanuter of Kanaker. Abovian's aunt was the wife of Sahak Aghamalian, the last melik of Yerevan at the time of the Russian annexation in 1828. Abovian's social origin and descent had imbued him from an early age with a sense of responsibility to his people. He was born six years after his parents, Avetik and Takuhi, got married and had a brother named Garabed, who died at three years old. At the age of ten his father took him to Echmiadzin
to study for priesthood.
Abovian dropped out after five years and moved to Tiflis in 1822 to study Armenian studies
and languages at the Nersisyan college
under the guidance of Harutiun Alamdarian. Abovian graduated in 1826 and began preparing to move to Venice
to further his education but the outbreak of the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828 curtailed his plans. For the next three years Abovian taught briefly at Sanahin
and then became employed by Catholicos
Yeprem as his clerk and translator. While working for the Catholicos, the twenty-year-old Abovian met many notable foreigners, one of whom was the diplomat and playwright Alexandr Griboyedov
, who was stuck in Echmiadzin on his way to Tabriz
in September 1828. Griboyedov's weekly Tifliskiye Vedemosti became the first paper to publish an article on Abovian.
The turning point in his life was the arrival in Armenia of Friedrich Parrot
in September 1829, a professor of natural philosophy
from the University of Dorpat in Livonia
(now University of Tartu in Estonia
). Parrot had travelled 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. With Abovian’s help, 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.
Abovian and Parrot crossed the Arax River and headed to the Armenian village of Agori situated on the northern slope of Ararat 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) above sea level. Following the advice of Harutiun Alamdarian of Tiflis, they set up base camp at the Monastery of Saint Jacob some 2400 feet (731.5 m) higher, at an elevation of 6375 feet (1,943.1 m). Abovian was one of the last travelers to visit Agori and the monastery before a disastrous earthquake completely buried both in May 1840. Their first attempt to climb the mountain, using the northeast slope, failed as a result of lack of warm clothing.
Six days later, on the advice of Stepan Khojiants, the village chief of Agori, the ascent was attempted from the northwest side. After reaching an elevation of 16028 feet (4,885.3 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 October 9, 1829. Abovian dug a hole in the ice and erected a wooden cross facing north. Abovian also picked up a chunk of ice from the summit and carried it down with him in a bottle, considering the water holy. On November 8, Parrot and Abovian climbed up Lesser Ararat. Years later, in 1845, the German mineralogist Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Abich
climbed Ararat with Abovian. Abovian's third and last ascent of Ararat was with the Englishman Henry Danby Seymour in 1846. Impressed with Abovian's thirst for knowledge, Parrot arranged for a Russian state scholarship for Abovian to study at the University of Dorpat in 1830.
Abovian entered the university directly without additional preparation and studied in the Philosophy faculty of the Philological-Historical department from September 3, 1830 until January 18, 1836. The years in Dorpat were very fruitful for Abovian who studied social and natural sciences, European literature and philosophy, and mastered German
, Russian
, French
and Latin
. At this time Abovian fell under the influence of German Romanticism
. In addition, Abovian established numerous contacts with European intellectuals of the time. At the university he became friends with the sons of Nikolay Karamzin who studied with him. In 1834 Abovian visited his cousin Maria (daughter of melik Sahak Aghamalian) in St. Petersburg, then married to Georgian Prince Alexander
. Prior to his graduation, Abovian learned that his mother Takuhi had died.
as well as Tsarist officials, largely stemming from his opposition to dogmatism and formalism in the school system. Abovian was appointed as the supervisor of the Tiflis uyezd
school and married a German woman named Emilia Looze (d. 1870) in 1839. In 1840 he was approached by English traveller Anne Lister
who was visiting Tiflis. She hoped that Abovian would guide her on another expedition to Mount Ararat which ultimately did not occur. He was dismissed from the school in 1843 and was transferred to the uyezd school of Yerevan where he also encountered apathy and antagonism from his colleagues and the clergy.
In the summer of the same year, Abovian was visited by two German travellers. A Bavaria
n professor Moritz Wagner
from the University of Munich arrived in May and toured the Lake Sevan
region with Abovian and thereafter corresponded with him on a regular basis. In July Abovian also accompanied Wagner on the first recorded ascent of Mount Aragats
in Armenia. In August, Abovian spent several days escorting a Prussia
n agronomist Baron August Franz von Haxthausen around the province. Together they visited a Yazidi
encampment where they met the chief Timur Aga and exchanged pleasantries with a rider from Count Paskevich
's guard. Abovian became a trusted friend of the Yazidi community in Armenia, and when the chief returned with lavish gifts from a banquet in Tiflis organized by the viceroy of the Caucasus Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov
in 1844, he organized a tribal feast and Abovian was invited to attend. In 1845 he applied for a position at the Catholicate of Echmiadzin but was turned down. In 1846 Abovian became a contributor to Vorontsov's weekly paper Kavkaz, for which he wrote three articles.
by the Special Corps of Gendarmes
, among others. Given his love for his children and their young age it is generally disregarded that Abovian committed suicide. Writer Axel Bakunts
put forward the theory that Abovian was in Western Europe engulfed in the Revolutions of 1848
.
Abovian wrote novels, stories, descriptions, plays, scientific and artistic compositions, verses and fables. He was the first Armenian writer to compose literature for children.
that triggers an uprising led by Agassi.
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. 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. In the novel, elements of romanticism
and realism
are interlaced while the narration is supplanted by lyrical
retreats.
Abovian also wrote scientific and artistic non-fiction works such as the Discovery of America and Book of Stories. Abovian translated to the Armenian language the works of Homer
, Goethe, Friedrich Schiller
, Nikolay Karamzin, I. A. Krylov
and others. Abovian continued promoting secular and comprehensive (mental, moral, working, physical) training, school accessibility, free education for the indigent and equal education of boys and girls. Pedagogical compositions of Abovian include the book for reading Introduction to education (1838), a textbook of Russian grammar and an Armenian-language novel History of Tigran, or a moral manual for the Armenian children (printed in 1941). Abovian was the first in Armenia to be occupied by scientific ethnography; he studied the way of life and customs of the peasants of the native settlements around Kanaker, inhabitants of Yerevan, and also gathered and studied Armenian and Kurd
ish folklore.
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.
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 Russian Armenia
decided to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Abovian's disappearance and raise funds for a statue. These included Alexander Shirvanzade
,
Hovhannes Tumanyan
and Gevorg Bashinjagyan. By 1910 they had collected enough funds to order the statue. It was designed by M. Grigoryan and sculpted by Andreas Ter-Manukyan in Paris
between 1910 and 1913. The statue is 4.5 metres (14.8 ft) high and made of bronze on a granite pedestal. As a result of a misunderstanding the statue was only delivered to Yerevan in 1925 and first erected on Abovian street by the cinema Moscow in 1933 and then moved to the children's park on the banks of the Hrazdan river
. In 1964 it found its permanent home by the Abovian house-museum in Kanaker. The second statue of Abovian in Yerevan was erected in Abovian square in 1950. The 9 metres (29.5 ft) high bronze statue was designed by Gevork Tamanian (son of Alexander Tamanian
) and sculpted by Suren Stepanyan.
The work Abovian accomplished in the field of education was also remembered. Yerevan's State Pedagogic Institute
was named after him. On February 28, 1964, a medal was also named in his honor (Աբովյանի Անվան Մեդալ) and which was awarded to school teachers who showed exceptional abilities in teaching and education. Between 1948 and 1984, five documentary films were produced in the Armenian SSR about the life and work of Abovian.
. It is an oil painting with a size of 20.5 centimetres (8.1 in) by 27.5 centimetres (10.8 in). In 1938 Abovian's grandsons brought it to the museum.
After Abovian disappeared, the portrait was lost. When Abovian's son Vardan returned to the Caucasus, he found the painting in a badly deteriorated condition. But by Vardan's request Armenian painter Gevorg Bashinjagyan restored the portrait. He cut worn-out edges, glued it to a hard paper and then filled the cracks with corresponding colors.
The painter of the portrait was Ludwig von Maydell, from Dorpat University
. He painted it in the fall of 1830, when Abovian was 20–21 years old. This portrait is the only painting of Abovian made during his lifetime.
Non-fiction
Other
Stories
Fables
, 1974, pp. 32–35, 38.
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
writer and national public figure of the early 19th century who mysteriously vanished in 1848 and was presumed dead. He was an educator, poet and an advocate of modernization. Considered as the father of modern Armenian literature
Armenian literature
-Early literature:Armenian literature begins about 406 with the invention of the Armenian alphabet by Mesrop.Isaac, the Catholicos of Armenia, formed a school of translators who were sent to Edessa, Athens, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Caesarea in Cappadocia, and elsewhere, to procure...
, he is best remembered for his novel Verk Hayastani (Wounds of Armenia), which set the trend in both style and genre for subsequent literature. Written in 1841 and published posthumously in 1858, it was the first novel published in the modern Armenian language
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
using the Eastern Armenian dialect instead of Classical Armenian.
Abovian was far ahead of his time and virtually none of his works was published during his lifetime. Only after the establishment of the Armenian SSR
Armenian SSR
The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet...
was Abovian accorded the recognition and stature he merited. Abovian is regarded as one of the foremost figures not just in Armenian literature but Armenian history
History of Armenia
Armenia lies in the highlands surrounding the Biblical mountains of Ararat. The original Armenian name for the country was Hayk, later Hayastan , translated as the land of Haik, and consisting of the name Haik and the suffix '-stan' ....
at large. Abovian's influence on Western Armenian literature was not as strong as it was on Eastern Armenian, particularly in its formative years.
Early life and career
Qanaqer-Zeytun
Kanaker-Zeytun is a district of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, located in the northeastern part of the city, an amalgam of Kanaker and Nor Zeytun....
, now a suburb of Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
. Abovian's family were descendants of the Beglaryan melik
Melik
Мelik , from malik ) was a hereditary Armenian noble title, in various Eastern Armenian principalities known as melikdoms encompassing modern Yerevan, Kars, Nakhchivan, Sevan, Lori, Artsakh, Tabriz and Syunik starting from the Late Middle Ages until the end of the nineteenth century...
family in Gulistan, one of five Armenian families who ruled around the current day region of Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...
. The Abovian family held the position of tanuter
Tanuter
Tanuter was the head of an Armenian nakharar house in ancient and medieval Armenia. Prior to the Russian annexation of Eastern Armenia in 1828, the village headmen of a melikdom carried the title....
(hereditary lord) in Kanaker and Abovian's uncle was the last tanuter of Kanaker. Abovian's aunt was the wife of Sahak Aghamalian, the last melik of Yerevan at the time of the Russian annexation in 1828. Abovian's social origin and descent had imbued him from an early age with a sense of responsibility to his people. He was born six years after his parents, Avetik and Takuhi, got married and had a brother named Garabed, who died at three years old. At the age of ten his father took him to Echmiadzin
Echmiadzin
Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin is a 4th century Armenian church in the town of Ejmiatsin, Armenia. It is also the central cathedral of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin of the Armenian Apostolic Church....
to study for priesthood.
Abovian dropped out after five years and moved to Tiflis in 1822 to study Armenian studies
Armenian studies
Armenian studies, or Armenology is a field of humanities covering Armenian history, language, religion and culture.- Early scholars :*Lord Byron *Ghevond Alishan *Mikayel Chamchian...
and languages at the Nersisyan college
Nersisyan School
Nersisyan School was an Armenian school in Tiflis, Russian Empire . Nersisyan School existed exactly one century, from 1824 to 1924. It was founded by Nerses Ashtaraketsi.- History :...
under the guidance of Harutiun Alamdarian. Abovian graduated in 1826 and began preparing to move to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
to further his education but the outbreak of the Russo-Persian War of 1826–1828 curtailed his plans. For the next three years Abovian taught briefly at Sanahin
Sanahin
Sanahin is a village in the northern province of Lori in Armenia, now considered part of the city of Alaverdi...
and then became employed by Catholicos
Catholicos of Armenia
The Catholicos of All Armenians is the chief bishop of Armenia's national church, the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is one of the Oriental Orthodox churches that do not accept the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon. The first Catholicos of All Armenians was Saint Gregory the Illuminator...
Yeprem as his clerk and translator. While working for the Catholicos, the twenty-year-old Abovian met many notable foreigners, one of whom was the diplomat and playwright Alexandr Griboyedov
Alexandr Griboyedov
Aleksander Sergeyevich Griboyedov was a Russian diplomat, playwright, poet, and composer. He is recognized as homo unius libri, a writer of one book, whose fame rests on the brilliant verse comedy Woe from Wit , still one of the most often staged plays in Russia...
, who was stuck in Echmiadzin on his way to Tabriz
Tabriz
Tabriz is the fourth largest city and one of the historical capitals of Iran and the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. Situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters at the junction of the Quri River and Aji River, it was the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s, one of its former...
in September 1828. Griboyedov's weekly Tifliskiye Vedemosti became the first paper to publish an article on Abovian.
The turning point in his life was the arrival in Armenia of Friedrich Parrot
Johann Jacob Friedrich Wilhelm Parrot
Johann Jacob Friedrich Wilhelm Parrot was a Livonian naturalist and traveller.- Biography :Parrot was born in Karlsruhe. He studied medicine and natural science at the University of Dorpat and, in 1811, undertook an expedition to the Crimea and the Caucasus with Maurice Engelhardt...
in September 1829, a professor of natural philosophy
Naturalism (philosophy)
Naturalism commonly refers to the philosophical viewpoint that the natural universe and its natural laws and forces operate in the universe, and that nothing exists beyond the natural universe or, if it does, it does not affect the natural universe that we know...
from the University of Dorpat in Livonia
Livonia
Livonia is a historic region along the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. It was once the land of the Finnic Livonians inhabiting the principal ancient Livonian County Metsepole with its center at Turaida...
(now University of Tartu in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
). Parrot had travelled to Armenia to climb Mount Ararat
Mount Ararat
Mount Ararat is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. It has two peaks: Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat .The Ararat massif is about in diameter...
to conduct geological studies
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
and required a local guide and a translator for the expedition. The Catholicos assigned Abovian to these tasks. With Abovian’s help, 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
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
, who provided the expedition with a military escort.
Conquering Ararat
Six days later, on the advice of Stepan Khojiants, the village chief of Agori, the ascent was attempted from the northwest side. After reaching an elevation of 16028 feet (4,885.3 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 October 9, 1829. Abovian dug a hole in the ice and erected a wooden cross facing north. Abovian also picked up a chunk of ice from the summit and carried it down with him in a bottle, considering the water holy. On November 8, Parrot and Abovian climbed up Lesser Ararat. Years later, in 1845, the German mineralogist Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Abich
Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Abich
Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Abich was a German mineralogist and geologist.He was born at Berlin and educated at the local university. His earliest scientific work is related to spinels and other minerals. Later he made special studies of fumaroles, of the mineral deposits around volcanic vents, and...
climbed Ararat with Abovian. Abovian's third and last ascent of Ararat was with the Englishman Henry Danby Seymour in 1846. Impressed with Abovian's thirst for knowledge, Parrot arranged for a Russian state scholarship for Abovian to study at the University of Dorpat in 1830.
Dorpat years
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. At this time Abovian fell under the influence of German Romanticism
German Romanticism
For the general context, see Romanticism.In the philosophy, art, and culture of German-speaking countries, German Romanticism was the dominant movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. German Romanticism developed relatively late compared to its English counterpart, coinciding in its...
. In addition, Abovian established numerous contacts with European intellectuals of the time. At the university he became friends with the sons of Nikolay Karamzin who studied with him. In 1834 Abovian visited his cousin Maria (daughter of melik Sahak Aghamalian) in St. Petersburg, then married to Georgian Prince Alexander
Alexander of Georgia
Alexander was a Georgian prince of the Bagrationi family who headed several insurrections against the Russian rule in Georgia between 1800 and 1832. He was known in Persia as Eskandar Mirza.- Early career :...
. Prior to his graduation, Abovian learned that his mother Takuhi had died.
Return to Armenia
In 1836 he returned home anxious to embark on a mission of enlightenment. Abovian’s efforts were thwarted as he faced a growing and hostile reaction from the Armenian clergyArmenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
as well as Tsarist officials, largely stemming from his opposition to dogmatism and formalism in the school system. Abovian was appointed as the supervisor of the Tiflis uyezd
Uyezd
Uyezd or uezd was an administrative subdivision of Rus', Muscovy, Russian Empire, and the early Russian SFSR which was in use from the 13th century. Uyezds for most of the history in Russia were a secondary-level of administrative division...
school and married a German woman named Emilia Looze (d. 1870) in 1839. In 1840 he was approached by English traveller Anne Lister
Anne Lister
Anne Lister was a well-off Yorkshire landowner, diarist, mountaineer and traveller.Throughout her life she kept diaries which chronicled the details of her everyday life, including her lesbian relationships, her financial concerns, her industrial activities and her work improving Shibden Hall...
who was visiting Tiflis. She hoped that Abovian would guide her on another expedition to Mount Ararat which ultimately did not occur. He was dismissed from the school in 1843 and was transferred to the uyezd school of Yerevan where he also encountered apathy and antagonism from his colleagues and the clergy.
In the summer of the same year, Abovian was visited by two German travellers. A Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n professor Moritz Wagner
Moritz Wagner
Moritz Wagner was a German explorer, collector, geographer and natural historian. Wagner devoted three years to the exploration of Algiers: it was here that he made important observations in natural history, which he later supplemented and developed: that geographical isolation could play a key...
from the University of Munich arrived in May and toured the Lake Sevan
Lake Sevan
Lake Sevan is the largest lake in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world.Lake Sevan is situated in the central part of the Republic of Armenia, inside the Gegharkunik Province, at the altitude of 1,900m above sea level...
region with Abovian and thereafter corresponded with him on a regular basis. In July Abovian also accompanied Wagner on the first recorded ascent of Mount Aragats
Mount Aragats
Mount Aragats , Alagoz - is a large andesitic-to-dacitic stratovolcano in NW Armenia about 40 km NW of the capital city of Yerevan. It is the highest point in Armenia, located in the province of Aragatsotn, northwest from Yerevan. Located on its slopes are the Byurakan Observatory and the...
in Armenia. In August, Abovian spent several days escorting a Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n agronomist Baron August Franz von Haxthausen around the province. Together they visited a Yazidi
Yazidi
The Yazidi are members of a Kurdish religion with ancient Indo-Iranian roots. They are primarily a Kurdish-speaking people living in the Mosul region of northern Iraq, with additional communities in Transcaucasia, Armenia, Turkey, and Syria in decline since the 1990s – their members emigrating to...
encampment where they met the chief Timur Aga and exchanged pleasantries with a rider from Count Paskevich
Ivan Paskevich
Ivan Fyodorovich Paskevich was a Ukrainian-born military leader. For his victories, he was made Count of Erivan in 1828 and Namestnik of the Kingdom of Poland in 1831...
's guard. Abovian became a trusted friend of the Yazidi community in Armenia, and when the chief returned with lavish gifts from a banquet in Tiflis organized by the viceroy of the Caucasus Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov
Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov
Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov , was a Russian prince and field-marshal, renowned for his success in the Napoleonic wars, and most famous for his participation in the Caucasian War from 1844 to 1853....
in 1844, he organized a tribal feast and Abovian was invited to attend. In 1845 he applied for a position at the Catholicate of Echmiadzin but was turned down. In 1846 Abovian became a contributor to Vorontsov's weekly paper Kavkaz, for which he wrote three articles.
Disappearance
On April 14, 1848, Abovian went out of his house for an early morning walk and was never seen again. His mysterious disappearance remains unresolved. His wife Emilia did not report him missing for a month. Their children, Vartan (1840–1896) and a daughter, Zarmandought later known as Adelaide (1843–1909), were ages eight and five when he vanished. 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 SiberiaSiberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
by the Special Corps of Gendarmes
Special Corps of Gendarmes
The Special Corps of Gendarmes was the uniformed security police of the Russian Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its main responsibilities were law enforcement and state security....
, among others. Given his love for his children and their young age it is generally disregarded that Abovian committed suicide. Writer Axel Bakunts
Axel Bakunts
Aksel Bakunts was an Armenian prose writer, film-writer, translator and public activist.-Biography:Aksel Bakunts was born in 1899 in Goris and educated at the Gevorkian Seminary in Echmiadzin. Always outspoken, his first publication, a satirical account of the mayor of Goris, earned him a stint...
put forward the theory that Abovian was in Western Europe engulfed in the Revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
.
Writings
Wounds of Armenia
The historical novel Wounds of Armenia (written in 1841, first published in 1858) was the first Armenian secular novel dedicated to the fate of the Armenian people and its struggle for liberation in the period of Russo-Persian war of 1826–1828. The novel dealt with the suffering of Armenians under Persian occupation. The basic concept of the novel was the assertion of feelings of national merit, patriotism and hatred of oppressors. These themes had a profound influence on wide layers of Armenian society. The hero of the novel, Agassi, personifies the freedom-loving national spirit and its will to fight against the foreign conquerors. "Give away your life, but never give away your native lands," is the motto of Agassi and his partisan friends. The story begins with an abduction of an Armenian girl by a band of thugs sent by the Persian sardarSardar
Sardar is a title of Indo-Aryan origin that was originally used to denote feudal princes, noblemen, and other aristocrats. It was later applied to indicate a Head of State, a Commander-in-chief, and an Army military rank...
that triggers an uprising led by Agassi.
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. 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
Armenian Oblast
The Armenian Oblast or Armenian Province ) was an oblast of the Russian Empire that existed from 1828 to 1840. It roughly corresponded to most of present-day central Armenia, the Iğdır Province of present-day Turkey, and present-day Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave...
in 1840. In the novel, elements of romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
and realism
Literary realism
Literary realism most often refers to the trend, beginning with certain works of nineteenth-century French literature and extending to late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors in various countries, towards depictions of contemporary life and society "as they were." In the spirit of...
are interlaced while the narration is supplanted by lyrical
Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
retreats.
Other works
Abovian's poetry was filled with satire best expressed in The wine jug, in which he criticized 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.Abovian also wrote scientific and artistic non-fiction works such as the Discovery of America and Book of Stories. Abovian translated to the Armenian language the works of Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
, Goethe, Friedrich Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
, Nikolay Karamzin, I. A. Krylov
Ivan Krylov
Ivan Andreyevich Krylov is Russia's best known fabulist. While many of his earlier fables were loosely based on Aesop and Jean de La Fontaine, later fables were original work, often satirizing the incompetent bureaucracy that was stifling social progress in his time.-Life:Ivan Krylov was born in...
and others. Abovian continued promoting secular and comprehensive (mental, moral, working, physical) training, school accessibility, free education for the indigent and equal education of boys and girls. Pedagogical compositions of Abovian include the book for reading Introduction to education (1838), a textbook of Russian grammar and an Armenian-language novel History of Tigran, or a moral manual for the Armenian children (printed in 1941). Abovian was the first in Armenia to be occupied by scientific ethnography; he studied the way of life and customs of the peasants of the native settlements around Kanaker, inhabitants of Yerevan, and also gathered and studied Armenian and Kurd
Kürd
Kürd or Kyurd or Kyurt may refer to:*Kürd Eldarbəyli, Azerbaijan*Kürd Mahrızlı, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Goychay, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Jalilabad, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Qabala, Azerbaijan*Qurdbayram, Azerbaijan...
ish folklore.
Legacy
Abovian's life is well remembered in Armenia. During the years in which Armenia was under Soviet rule, Abovian's support for Russia and Russians was emphasized. Schools, streets, boulevards and parks were named after him. 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, AbovyanAbovyan
Abovyan is a city in Armenia in the province of Kotayk. It is located 15 km northeast of Yerevan and 36 km southeast of the province centre Hrazdan. In 2009, the estimated population of the city was 46,000, down from 59,000 at the 1989 census...
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.
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 Russian Armenia
Russian Armenia
Russian Armenia is the period of Armenia's history under Russian rule beginning from 1829, when Eastern Armenia became part of the Russian Empire to the declaration of the Democratic Republic of Armenia in 1918...
decided to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Abovian's disappearance and raise funds for a statue. These included Alexander Shirvanzade
Alexander Shirvanzade
Alexander Shirvanzade was an Armenian playwright and novelist...
,
Hovhannes Tumanyan
Hovhannes Tumanyan
Hovhannes Tumanyan , is considered to be one of the greatest Armenian poets and writers. His work was mostly written in tragic form, often centering on the harsh lives of villagers in the Lori region.-Biography:...
and Gevorg Bashinjagyan. By 1910 they had collected enough funds to order the statue. It was designed by M. Grigoryan and sculpted by Andreas Ter-Manukyan in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
between 1910 and 1913. The statue is 4.5 metres (14.8 ft) high and made of bronze on a granite pedestal. As a result of a misunderstanding the statue was only delivered to Yerevan in 1925 and first erected on Abovian street by the cinema Moscow in 1933 and then moved to the children's park on the banks of the Hrazdan river
Hrazdan River
The Hrazdan is a major river of Armenia. It starts at the northwest extremity of Lake Sevan and flows south through the Kotayk marz and Armenia's capital, Yerevan. It then joins the Aras River along the border with Turkey. A Hydro-electric plant is located on the Hrazdan river...
. In 1964 it found its permanent home by the Abovian house-museum in Kanaker. The second statue of Abovian in Yerevan was erected in Abovian square in 1950. The 9 metres (29.5 ft) high bronze statue was designed by Gevork Tamanian (son of Alexander Tamanian
Alexander Tamanian
Alexander Tamanian was a Russian-born Armenian neoclassical architect, who is remembered today for his work in the city of Yerevan.Born in the city of Yekaterinodar in 1878 in the family of a banker. He graduated from the St Petersburg Academy of Arts in 1904. His works portrayed sensitive and...
) and sculpted by Suren Stepanyan.
The work Abovian accomplished in the field of education was also remembered. Yerevan's State Pedagogic Institute
Institute
An institute is a permanent organizational body created for a certain purpose. Often it is a research organization created to do research on specific topics...
was named after him. On February 28, 1964, a medal was also named in his honor (Աբովյանի Անվան Մեդալ) and which was awarded to school teachers who showed exceptional abilities in teaching and education. Between 1948 and 1984, five documentary films were produced in the Armenian SSR about the life and work of Abovian.
Portrait
Abovian's portrait is one of the most unique samples of the Museum of Literature and Arts after CharentsCharents Museum of Literature and Arts
The Charents Museum of Literature and Arts of Armenia is the largest repository of Armenian manuscripts and books encompassing the last three hundred years....
. It is an oil painting with a size of 20.5 centimetres (8.1 in) by 27.5 centimetres (10.8 in). In 1938 Abovian's grandsons brought it to the museum.
After Abovian disappeared, the portrait was lost. When Abovian's son Vardan returned to the Caucasus, he found the painting in a badly deteriorated condition. But by Vardan's request Armenian painter Gevorg Bashinjagyan restored the portrait. He cut worn-out edges, glued it to a hard paper and then filled the cracks with corresponding colors.
The painter of the portrait was Ludwig von Maydell, from Dorpat University
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu is a classical university in the city of Tartu, Estonia. University of Tartu is the national university of Estonia; it is the biggest and highest-ranked university in Estonia...
. He painted it in the fall of 1830, when Abovian was 20–21 years old. This portrait is the only painting of Abovian made during his lifetime.
Prose
Novels- Wounds of Armenia, or lamentation of the patriot (Tiflis 1858)
- History of Tigran, or a moral manual for Armenian children (1941)
Non-fiction
- Introduction to education (Tiflis 1838)
- Collection of algebra exercises (1868)
- New theoretical and practical Russian grammar for Armenians (1839)
Other
- Unpublished works (Tiflis 1904)
- Unpublished letters (Vienna 1929)
Stories
- The Turkish girl (Yerevan 1941)
Poetry
- The wine jug (Tiflis 1912)
- Folk songs (Yerevan 1939)
- Poems (Yerevan 1941)
- Poetry for children (Yerevan 1941)
Fables
- Leisure entertainment (Tiflis 1864, includes the play Feodora)
- Fables (Yerevan 1941)
Further reading
Hakobyan P., S. Dulyan et al. "Abovyan, Khachatur", "Abovyan (city)", "Medal after Abovyan", "Abovyan House-Museum" in the Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia. vol. i. Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Armenian Academy of SciencesArmenian Academy of Sciences
The Armenian Academy of Sciences is the primary body that conducts research in and coordinates activities in the fields of science and social sciences in the Republic of Armenia. It was founded on November 29, 1943...
, 1974, pp. 32–35, 38.