Hovhannes Tumanyan
{{Short description|Armenian author, poet, novelist, and public activist (1869–1923)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Hovhannes Tumanyan
Հովհաննես Թումանյան
| image = Tumanyan (2).jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1869|2|19|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = Dsegh, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire
(now Lori Province, Armenia)
| death_date = {{death date and age|1923|3|23|1869|2|19|mf=yes}}[https://bigenc.ru/literature/text/4219426 ТУМАНЯ́Н Ованес Тадевосович] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190220122807/https://bigenc.ru/literature/text/4219426 |date=February 20, 2019 }}. Great Russian Encyclopedia
| death_place = Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
| resting_place = Armenian Pantheon of Tbilisi
| occupation = poet, novelist, public activist
| nationality = Armenian
| period = 1881–1923
| movement = Realism
| notableworks =
| spouse = Olga Tumanyan (née Matchkalyan)
| children = 10, including Tamar Tumanyan
| signature = Tumanyan siganture.png
}}
Hovhannes Tumanyan ({{langx|hy|Հովհաննես Թումանյան}}, classical spelling: Յովհաննէս Թումանեան, {{OldStyleDate|February 19|1869|February 7}} – March 23, 1923) was an Armenian poet, writer, translator, and literary and public activist. He is the national poet of Armenia.{{cite web |last=Jrbashyan |first=E. |title=Hovhannes Tumanyan Biography |url=http://armenianhouse.org/tumanyan/bio-en.html |access-date=July 11, 2012 |publisher=ArmenianHouse.org}}
Tumanyan wrote poems, quatrains, ballads, novels, fables, and critical and journalistic articles. His works were mostly written in the style of realism, frequently revolving around the everyday life of his time. Born in the historical village of Dsegh in the Lori region, at a young age Tumanyan moved to Tiflis, which was the centre of Armenian culture under the Russian Empire during the 19th and early 20th centuries.{{cite book | last = Adjarian | first = Hrachia | author-link = Hrachia Adjarian | title = Classification des dialectes arméniens | trans-title = Classification of Armenian dialects | url = http://scans.library.utoronto.ca/pdf/7/19/bibliothquedel173ecol/bibliothquedel173ecol.pdf | access-date = July 8, 2012 | year = 1909 | publisher = Librairie Honore Champion | location = Paris | language = fr | page = 72 | archive-date = October 5, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131005011955/http://scans.library.utoronto.ca/pdf/7/19/bibliothquedel173ecol/bibliothquedel173ecol.pdf | url-status = dead }} He soon became known to the wide Armenian society for his simple but very poetic works.
Many films and animated films have been adapted from Tumanyan's works. Two operas, Anush (1912) by Armen Tigranian and Almast (1930) by Alexander Spendiaryan, were written based on his works.
Biography
File:Vernatun.jpg, Aghayan, Tumanyan (sitting) and Shant, Demirchian (standing).]]
File:Tbilisi Tumanyan house.jpg
Hovhannes Tumanyan was born on February 19, 1869, in the village of Dsegh, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire (now in Lori Province, Armenia).{{cite web | url = http://encyclopedia.am/pages.php?bId=2&hId=1182&sWord=Array | script-title=hy:Թումանյան Հովհաննես |year = 2010 | publisher = Դպրոցական Մեծ Հանրագիտարան, Գիրք II | access-date = July 10, 2012|language=hy}}
His father, Aslan (1839–1898), was the village priest known as Ter-Tadevos. He was an offspring of an Armenian princely family of Tumanyan, branch of the famous royal house of Mamikonian that settled in Lori in 10th and 11th centuries from their original feudal fief of Taron.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}
His mother, Sona (1842–1936), was an avid storyteller with a particular interest in fables. Young Tumanyan was the oldest of eight children; his siblings were Rostom (1871–1915), Osan (1874–1926), Iskuhi (1878–1943), Vahan (1881–1937), Astghik (1885–1953), Arshavir (1888–1921), Artashes (1892–1916).{{cite web | url = http://toumanian.am/toumanian/html/kens/tohm.html | script-title=hy:ԹՈՒՄԱՆՅԱՆԻ ՏՈՀՄԸ | publisher = Հովհաննես Թումանյանի թանգարան | access-date = July 10, 2012|language=hy}}
From 1877 to 1879, Tumanyan attended the parochial school of Dsegh. From 1879 to 1883 he went to a school in Jalaloghly.{{cite web | url = http://toumanian.am/toumanian/html/kens/krtut.html | script-title=hy:ԿՐԹՈՒԹՅՈՒՆ | publisher = Հովհաննես Թումանյանի թանգարան | access-date = July 11, 2012|language=hy}} Tumanyan moved to Tiflis in 1883, where he attended the Nersisyan School from 1883 to 1887. Tumanyan's wrote his first poem at the age of 12, while studying in Jalaloghly school. He lived at the teacher's house for a while and fell in love with the teacher's daughter Vergine. Since 1893, Tumanyan worked for Aghbyur, Murtch, Hasker and Horizon periodicals and also was engaged in public activism.
In 1899, Tumanyan came up with an idea of organizing meetings of Armenian intellectuals of the time at his house on 44 Bebutov Street in Tiflis (present-day Amaghleba 18, in Sololaki). Soon it became an influential literary group, which often gathered in the garret of Tumanyan's house. Vernatun means garret in Armenian, which was the name the group was referred to. Prominent members of the collective were Avetik Isahakyan, Derenik Demirchyan, Levon Shant, Ghazaros Aghayan, Perch Proshyan, Nikol Aghbalian, Alexander Shirvanzade, Nar-Dos, Vrtanes Papazyan, Vahan Terian, Leo, Stepan Lisitsyan, Mariam Tumanyan, Gevorg Bashinjagyan and many other significant Armenian figures of early 20th century. With some pauses, it existed until 1908.
In 1912 Tumanyan was elected the president of the Company of Caucasus Armenian Writers.
In the fall of 1921, Tumanyan went to Constantinople to find support of Armenian refugees. After months spent there, he returned ill. After surgery in 1922, he started to get better. But in September, Tumanyan's disease started to progress again. He was transferred to a hospital in Moscow, where he died on March 23, 1923.{{cite web | url = http://rcnc.ru/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1177&Itemid=50 | script-title=ru:Туманян Ованес Тадевосович | publisher = РКНК | access-date = July 11, 2012|language=ru}}
=Personal life=
In 1888, at the age of 19, Hovhannes Tumanyan married Olga Matchkalyan, age 17.{{cite web | url = http://toumanian.am/tangaran/biography.php?clear=1&cont=4 | script-title=hy:Ամուսնությունը | publisher = Հովհաննես Թումանյանի թանգարան | access-date = July 11, 2012|language=hy}} They had 10 children: Musegh (1889–1938), Ashkhen (1891–1968), Nvard (1892–1957), Artavazd (1894–1918), Hamlik (1896–1937), Anush (1898–1927), Arpik (1899–1981), Areg (1900–1939), Seda (1905–1988), Tamar (1907–1989).{{cite web |date=2014 |title=The Children |script-title=hy:Զավակները |url=http://toumanian.am/tangaran/biography.php?clear=1&cont=5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305014405/http://toumanian.am/tangaran/biography.php?clear=1&cont=5 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |access-date=August 28, 2022 |publisher=Հովհաննես Թումանյանի թանգարան |language=hy}}
Political and public activism
During the government-provoked Armenian–Tatar massacres of 1905–1906, Tumanyan took the role of a peacemaker, for which he was arrested twice. Tumanyan also deeply criticized the Georgian–Armenian War of 1918. Tumanyan was also actively engaged in preaching the Gospel. As he put in one of his verses, "There is only one way of salvation; through Jesus Christ abiding inside every one of us".
In October 1914 Tumanyan joined the "Committee for Support of War Victims", which later helped Armenian Genocide refugees settled in Etchmiadzin.{{cite web | url = http://toumanian.am/toumanian/html/kens/vorbangor.html | script-title = hy:ՀՈՎՀ. ԹՈՒՄԱՆՅԱՆԸ ԵՒ ՈՐԲԱԽՆԱՄ ԳՈՐԾԸ | publisher = ՀՈՎՀ. ԹՈՒՄԱՆՅԱՆԸ ԵՒ ՈՐԲԱԽՆԱՄ ԳՈՐԾԸ | access-date = July 15, 2012 | language = hy | archive-date = February 17, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190217223252/http://www.toumanian.am/toumanian/html/kens/vorbangor.html | url-status = dead }}
In 1921 in Tiflis he founded the House of Armenian Art.
Literary work
Eduard Jrbashyan describes Tumanyan's language as "simple, natural and at the same time poetically inspired and beautiful." Many expressions from Tumanyan's works have become common phrases and sayings in Armenian.
Tumanyan is usually regarded in Armenian circles as "All-Armenian poet". He earned this title when the Catholicos of Armenia had ordered that Armenian refugees from the west not enter certain areas of his church and house, since he is considered to be "The Catholicos of all Armenians". Tumanyan in response decried that decision claiming that the refugees could seek relief in the Catholicos' quarters under order of "The Poet of all Armenians".
He created lyrics, fables, epic poems and translations into Armenian of Byron, Goethe and Pushkin.Hovannes Tumanian – Great Armenian popular poet, native of Lori.
Tumanyan's most famous works include:
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=Ballads and poems=
- {{lang|hy-Latn|Shunn u katun}} (The dog and the cat, 1886)
- {{lang|hy-Latn|Maro}} (1887)
- {{lang|hy-Latn|Anush}} (1890)
- {{lang|hy-Latn|Akht’amar}} (1891)
- {{lang|hy-Latn|Sasunts’i Davit’}} (David of Sassoun, 1902)
- {{Lang|hy-Latn|T’mkaberdi ar’umë}} (The capture of Tmkaberd, 1902)
- {{lang|hy-Latn|Mi kat’il meghr}} (A drop of honey, 1909)
- {{lang|hy-Latn|Ch’ari verje}} (The end of evil, 1908)
- {{lang|hy-Latn|T’agavorn u ch’arch’in}} (The king and the peddler, 1917)
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=Short stories=
- "{{lang|hy-Latn|Gik’or|italic=no}}"
=Fairy tales=
- {{lang|hy-Latn|K’aj Nazar|italic=none}} (Nazar the Brave)
- {{lang|hy-Latn|Ulikë|italic=none}} (The kid goat)
- {{lang|hy-Latn|Dzakhord P’anos|italic=none}} (Unlucky Panos)
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Legacy
=Translations=
Tumanyan's works have been translated into numerous languages. Translators of his works into Russian include Valery Bryusov, Konstantin Balmont, Joseph Brodsky, Samuil Marshak, and Bella Akhmadulina.
=Places named after Tumanyan=
In Armenia:
- Tumanyan Matchbox Label Museum{{cite web | url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tumanyan-matchbox-label-museum | title=Tumanyan Matchbox Label Museum }}
- Tumanyan City in Lori Province, which until 1951 was named Dzaghidzor.
- Pedagogical University of Vanadzor
- Armenian State Puppet Theater in Yerevan
- Tumanyan St. in central Yerevan
- Tumanyan Park in Yerevan's Ajapnyak district
- Tumanyan's native village of Dsegh was renamed Tumanyan in his honor in 1938, before being changed back to Dsegh in 1969.Kiesling, Rediscovering Armenia, p. 67, available online at the [http://yerevan.usembassy.gov/armenia.pdf US embassy to Armenia's website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626205330/http://yerevan.usembassy.gov/armenia.pdf |date=June 26, 2008 }}
Outside of Armenia:
- Tumanyan Square (Площадь Туманяна) – in Northern Administrative Okrug of Moscow, Russia.
- Tumanyan Streets in Kyiv,{{cite web|url=http://mapia.ua/ru/kiev/streets/str-ovanesyana-tumanyana|title=ул. Ованеса Туманяна на карте Киева – Mapia.ua|access-date=November 23, 2016|archive-date=November 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171128004226/http://mapia.ua/ru/kiev/streets/str-ovanesyana-tumanyana|url-status=dead}} Tbilisi (sign),{{cite web | url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ovanes+Tumaniani+St,+T'bilisi,+Georgia/@41.6897727,44.8063526,18z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x40440cf127dec213:0xb142a41235e1edd5!8m2!3d41.6897707!4d44.8074469 | title=Ovanes Tumaniani St · Tbilisi, Georgia }} Donetsk,{{cite web|url=http://mapia.ua/ru/donetsk/streets/str-tumanyana|title=ул. Туманяна на карте Донецка – Mapia.ua|access-date=November 23, 2016|archive-date=February 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202001746/http://mapia.ua/ru/donetsk/streets/str-tumanyana|url-status=dead}} Sochi,{{cite web|url=http://rusmap.net/%D0%A1%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%B8/%D1%83%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B0_%D0%A2%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%8F%D0%BD%D0%B0/13%D0%90|title=Сочи: улица Туманяна, 13А на карте с номерами домов|access-date=November 23, 2016}} khutor Shaumyanovsky in Rostov Oblast.
There are 2 museums dedicated to Tumanyan in Armenia, one in his birthplace Dsegh and another one in Yerevan. Tumanyan's museum in Yerevan was opened in 1953.{{cite web | url = http://www.toumanian.am/tangaran/tang.php | script-title = hy:ՀՈՎՀԱՆՆԵՍ ԹՈՒՄԱՆՅԱՆԻ ԹԱՆԳԱՐԱՆԻ ՊԱՏՄՈՒԹՅՈՒՆԸ | access-date = July 10, 2012 | language = hy | archive-date = October 25, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161025224832/http://www.toumanian.am/tangaran/tang.php | url-status = dead }}
In Autumn of 2011 the government of Armenia purchased a flat that Tumanyan had lived in in Tbilisi from its Georgian owner and in 2017 opened it as a museum and cultural center.{{Cite web |title=Hovhannes Tumanyan House in Tbilisi - armeniapedia.org |url=https://armeniapedia.org/wiki/Hovhannes_Tumanyan_House_in_Tbilisi |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=armeniapedia.org}}
In popular culture
=Opera=
- Anoush (1912) by Armen Tigranian, based on the narrative poem Anush (1902){{cite web | url = http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/bse/171618/%D0%A2%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%8F%D0%BD | script-title=ru:Туманян | year = 1977 | publisher = Большая советская энциклопедия | access-date = July 11, 2012|language=ru}}
- Almast (1930) by Alexander Spendiaryan, based on the narrative poem {{Lang|hy-Latn|T’mkaberdi ar’umë}} (The capture of Tmkabert, 1902)
The following films were adapted from Hovhannes Tumanyan's works.
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=Films=
- Gikor by A. Martirosyan; silent (1934)
- The Master and the Servant by D. Keosayan; Armenfilm (1962)
- Akhtamar by E. Martirosyan; Armenfilm (1969)
- Honor of the Poor by B. Hovhannisyan, A. Samvelyan; Armenfilm (1969)
- The Fat King by D. Keosayan; Armenfilm (1969)
- The Lying Hunter by Aramayis Sargsyan; Armenfilm (1969)
- Since the Time of Hunger by E. Martirosyan; Armenfilm (1974)
- Gikor by S. Israeilyan; Armenfilm (1982)
- A Drop of Honey by Henrik Malyan; in Russian; Armenfilm (1982)
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=Animated films=
- A Drop of Honey by V. Podpomogov (1968)
- Parvana by V. Podpomogov (1968)
- Hunter the Liar by E. Badalyan (1969){{cite web | url = http://www.arm-cinema.am/en/features_and_shorts/237.html | title = Hunter the Liar | publisher = Armenian Association of Film Critics and Cinema Journalists | access-date = July 12, 2012}}
- The Unlucky Panos by S. Galstuyan (1980)
- The Death of Kikos by Robert Sahakyants (1979)
- Nazar the Brave by Robert Sahakyants (1986)
- ‘’ Wow, a speaking Fish!’’ by (Robert Shakahyants) (1983)
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=Postage stamps, banknotes and coins=
File:The Soviet Union 1969 CPA 3787 stamp (Hovhannes Tumanyan).jpg|Soviet postage stamp, 1969
File:Tumanyan coin.jpg|Tumanyan memorial coin, 1994
File:5,000 Armenian dram - 1999 (obverse).png|Obverse side of the 5,000 Armenian dram, 1998
File:Hovhannes Tumanyan 2003 Abkhazia stamp.jpg|Stamp of Abkhazia, 2003
File:Tumnanyan armenian stamp.jpg|Armenian-Russian Joint issue, 2011
File:Tumanyan russian stamp.jpg|Armenian-Russian Joint issue, 2011
File:Hovhannes Tumanyan 2019 stampsheet of Armenia.jpg|Armenian stamp sheet, 2019
File:Hovhannes Tumanyan 2019 stamp of Artsakh.jpg|Stamp of Artsakh, 2019
Collections in Armenian
- The Complete Works, Vol I-X, Yerevan, 1988-1999
See also
{{portal|Poetry}}
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite journal|last=Hayrapetyan|first=Tamar|year=2019|url=http://www.toumanian.am/upload/j812313782.pdf|script-title=hy:Հայ ժողովրդական հեքիաթների թումանյանական մշակման միջազգային զուգահեռները|trans-title=International parallels of Toumanian's translations of Armenian folktales|journal=Voské Divan: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies|date=2018–2019|volume=6|pages=67–78|language=hy|ref=none}}
- {{cite journal|last=Vardanyan|first=Nvard|url=https://www.academia.edu/42848265|script-title=hy:«Կարմիր ծաղիկը» և «Եդեմական ծաղիկը» հեքիաթների հետքերով|trans-title=On two fairy tales the 'Red flower' and the 'Eden flower'|journal=Voské Divan: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies|volume=6|date=2018–2019|pages=88–96|language=hy|ref=none}}
External links
{{commons category|Hovhannes Tumanyan}}{{Wikisourcelang|hy|Հեղինակ:Հովհաննես Թումանյան|Hovhannes Tumanyan}}
- [http://toumanian.am Tumanyan Museum]
- [http://www.armenianhouse.org/blackwell/armenian-poems/toumanian.html Three poems by Tumanyan in English translation], on ArmenianHouse.org. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212181008/http://www.armenianhouse.org/blackwell/armenian-poems/toumanian.html |date=December 12, 2024 }}
- [http://eanc.net/EANC/library/library.php?interface_language=en Full collection of Hovhannes Tumanyan's works in Armenian at EANC e-library]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527040524/http://www.eanc.net/EANC/library/library.php?interface_language=en |date=May 27, 2022 }}
- {{IMDb name|1340137}}
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Category:19th-century Armenian poets
Category:Burials at Armenian Pantheon of Tbilisi