UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN DEVOTES AN EVENING TO YEGHISHE CHARENTS   

A film and a lecture on the preeminent Armenian Poet

 

Ann Arbor, Mich. Feb. 28, 2012. The Armenian Studies Program at the University of Michigan has organized an evening devoted to the poet Yeghishe Charents to be held at the International Institute on Tuesday, March 13, 2012, beginning at 4:00 PM.

 

The event will begin with the showing of a film by Shareen Anderson on Charents, produced in 2009. The film will be followed by a lecture by one of the well known specialists of Yeghishe Charents, Professor Azat Yeghiazaryan of Yerevan.

 

«Yeghishe Charents became known in Armenian literature as a poet of revolution. Really the theme of revolution was one of the central topics in his poetry. Yet in this lecture I consider revolution more widely than events such as the October revolution and Civil War. In the worldview of Charents and a great number of writers of his generation in Russia and other countries revolution was not only a solution to social problems, but a beginning of a new humanistic civilization. And this aspect was more essential, than social problems," stated Professor Yeghiazaryan. "He hated the past. He was not interested in present so much. But he dreamed about the future as something bright and beautiful for all the men."

 

From 1999 to 2008 Professor Yeghiazaryan was Director of the M. Abeghyan Literature Institute of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences. Since 2008 he has been serving as Head of the Armenian language and literature chair, Slavic University of Armenia. His most recent publications include Charents and History, Academy of Sciences, Yerevan, 1997, Poetics of the Epics "Sasna Tsrer" (Daredevils of Sassoun), Academy of Sciences, 1999; Armenian Literature of 20-th Century: Personalities and Problems, Academy of Sciences, 2002; Modern Armenian Literature. An Outline of History, Academy of Sciences, 2004; Nineties: Criticism and Publicism, Academy of Sciences, 2005; Organ of History. Yeghishe Charents. Tigran Mets, Yerevan, 2007; Daredevils of Sasun. Poetics of an Epic. Mazda, USA, 2008; This Skilled, Genius Man from Lory (about the works of Hovhannes Tumanyan), Nairy, Yerevan, 2009.

 

With a large number of articles and conferences to his credit, Professor Yeghiazaryan is a leading scholar in the field of Armenian literature.  

 

The lecture, to take place in room 1636 of the International Institute on campus, is titled "Charents and Revolution." It is open to the public and will be recorded for later viewing on the website of the Armenian Studies Program (www.ii.umich.edu/asp).