Siamanto - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Atom Yarjanian better known by his pen name Siamanto (Սիամանթօ) (1878–1915), was an influential Armenian

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

Writer

A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

, poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

and national figure from the late 19th century and early 20th century. He was killed by the Ottoman

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

authorities during the Armenian Genocide

Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...

Life

He was born in 1878, in the town on Ağın

Agin

Ağın is a town and district of Elâzığ Province of Turkey. The mayor is Mustafa Yentür . The population of the town is 1844 as of 2010.- History :...

on the shores of the river Euphrates

Euphrates

The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...

. He lived in his native town until the age of 14. He studied at the Nersesian institute as a youngling, where he developed an interest in poetry. The school’s director encouraged him to continue developing his poetic talents. The director gave him his nickname Siamanto, and Atom would use this name for the rest of his days.

Siamanto came from a middle-upper class family. They moved to Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

(Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

) in 1891 where he continued his studies at the Berberian institute. He graduated in 1896, during the same year of the bloody Hamidian massacres

Hamidian massacres

The Hamidian massacres , also referred to as the Armenian Massacres of 1894–1896, refers to the massacring of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, with estimates of the dead ranging from anywhere between 80,000 to 300,000, and at least 50,000 orphans as a result...

. Like many other Armenian intellectuals, he fled the country for fear of persecution. He ended up in Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

where he became depressed because of the butchery that his fellow Armenians had to endure.

In 1897, he moved to 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...

and enrolled in literature at the prestigious Sorbonne

Sorbonne

The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...

University. He was captivated by philosophy and Middle Eastern literature. He had to work various jobs while pursuing his studies because of his hard financial situation. He developed many ties with well-known Armenian personalities in and outside Paris. He enjoyed reading in French and in Armenian, and read many of the best works of his time.

From Paris he moved to Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

in Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, and worked for the newspaper Droshak Journal

Droshak Journal

Droshak is the official organ of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation published in Tiflis , Balkans , Geneva , Paris , Beirut , Athens , Yerevan . It was first published in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian as a monthly, then- bi-monthly, bi-weekly, weekly...

(Troshag meaning Flag, Armenian: Դրօշակ). His first poetic works were published in this newspaper under the headlines of Heroically (Tuitsaznoren, Armenian: Դիւցազնօրէն) and The Knight’s Song (Asbedin Yerke, Armenian: Ասպետին Երգը). The paper was established outside the Ottoman Empire so that it could freely condemn the Turkish authorities and try to get international attention for the plight of the Armenians. Flag was highly critical of the Ottoman government and demanded equal rights for Armenians and more autonomy. Siamanto joined the cause and truly believed in an Armenia free of Turkish oppression. Henceforth, many of his works and poems were highly nationalistic.

Siamanto fell ill in 1904, coming down with a case of pneumonia. He was treated at a hospital in Geneva and eventually fully recovered. For the next 4 years, he lived in various European cities such as 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...

, Zurich

Zürich

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...

, and Geneva

Geneva

. In 1908, along with many other Armenians, he returned to Constantinople. The reason for their return was the change in the Ottoman government wherein the constitution was enacted. Freed from the fear of persecution, he returned. However, in 1909, the Turkish government made it clear that they were not safe by perpetrating the Adana massacre

Adana massacre

The Adana massacre occurred in Adana Province, in the Ottoman Empire, in April 1909. An massacre of Armenian Christians in the city of Adana amidst governmental upheaval resulted in a series of anti-Armenian pogroms throughout the district...

. Siamanto was once again deeply affected by the bloodshed. These events lead him to write his famous My Friend’s Bloody News (Garmir loorer paregames Armenian: Կարմիր լուրեր Բարեկամէս).

Works

Heroically (Tuitsaznoren, Armenian: Դիւցազնօրէն) was written starting in 1897 and finally printed in 1902 in Paris. It was a book about the hardships of Armenians living under the harsh Ottoman rule. In it, Siamanto encouraged the youth to stand up for their rights and demand equality and justice.

Armenian Children (Hyevortiner, Armenian: Հայորդիներ) was written between 1902 and 1908 and included three volumes. The first one was released in 1905 and dealt with the deep grief and mourning that many had to endure after the Hamidian massacres

Hamidian massacres

and other Turkish atrocities.

Torches of Spiritual Behavior and Hope (Hokevarki ev huysi chaher, Armenian: Հոգեվարքի եւ յոյսի ջահեր) was released in 1907 described in stunning details scenes of massacres, blood and anguish. He portrayed the deep thoughts and feelings of the victims and their daily torment. The plight of a whole people can be felt while reading this work. The author successfully makes the reader feel for the characters and easily win their sympathy.

Bloody News from My Friend (Garmir loorer paregames Armenian: Կարմիր լուրեր Բարեկամէս) was written right after the Adana massacre

Adana massacre

of 1909. It is a poetic work reflecting the pain the author felt for his fellow countrymen.

The Homeland’s Invitation (Hayreni hraver, Armenian: Հայրենի հրաւէր) was printed in 1910 and released in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. He wrote about his yearn for his country and encouraged Armenians living abroad to return to their native soil.

Saint Mesrop (Soorp Mesrop, Armenian: Սուրբ Մաշտոց) was released in 1913 and is a fictional account of the life of Saint Mesrop.

Writing Style

Siamanto was a pioneer in Armenian poetry. His style was new and unique, and the methodology was exceptional. His themes were very dark and dealt extensively with death, torture, loss, misery, and sorrow. Scenes of massacres, executions by hanging, bloody streets, pillaged villages, etc. in other words, they were all about the slaughter of Armenian men and women. The suffering of the people was continually tormenting him in turn. He spent many sleepless nights thinking about those who perished. Writing about their fate was his way of coping with the pain and making sure they were not killed in silence. Life for the Armenians was bleak under Ottoman rule and Siamanto’s works described that fact of life very well.

However, his poems and writings go beyond the pain. He wrote about hope, freedom from oppression, and the possibility of a better future. His ideas also went to revolutionary themes and revenge for the murdered. Siamanto had two sides to his writing: one of lamentation, and the other of resistance. It is from this ideology of resistance that his revolutionary beliefs grew. He was convinced that the road to salvation for his people was through armed struggle. He was hoping to ignite the revolutionary spirit in the younger generation of Armenians and to make them understand that indifference and inaction was not going to save them. He was so gripped with these troubles that he seldom wrote about himself, his personal life, love, or joy.

Siamanto had a very vivid imagination. The images he created can sometimes even feel a little out of the ordinary at times. He used many aspects from the symbolic school of thought in his works. He did not know modesty; we went to extremes both while writing about desperation or about hope. His consistency in his chosen themes went to show how passionately he felt for his cause. His works give a clear image of the spirit that existed at the time in many minds of the Armenian populace.

Death

In 1910, he moved to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

and immediately found employment at the Homeland newspaper (Hayrenik Armenian: Հայրենիք). Three years later he moved once again, this time to the city of Tbilisi

Tbilisi

Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...

. On his way to his destination, he visited many famous Armenian landmarks such as 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...

, Khor Virap

Khor Virap

The Khor Virap is an Armenian Apostolic Church monastery located in the Ararat plain in Armenia, near the border with Turkey, about south of Artashat, Ararat Province...

and 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....

.

In 1915, he was murdered by the Ottomans during the Armenian Genocide

Armenian Genocide

Life

Works

Writing Style

Death

See also